Help an international student in need finish dream degree

Hi, my name is Maya and I am fundraising for one of the closest people to heart. She is an accomplished biochemistry student who has been working extremely hard to fulfill her dreams and help people with her research, but has run into a very difficult situation earlier this year when her dad got laid off from his job. Please take a moment to read her story and donate (literally anything helps):

I’m a fourth-year biochemistry student from Baku, Azerbaijan, with a lifelong dream of becoming a world-renowned scientist in genetics. My education was perfectly on track, financed by a combination of family support, scholarships from UBC, and the many jobs I have taken on since landing in Vancouver in 2021. Earlier this year, though, my dad–our family’s sole breadwinner–lost his job. With three kids in university and a household to support, the pressure quickly caught up. My family has already taken out loans from other family members and banks, putting us in an even more precarious financial situation. My parents have made sacrifice after sacrifice to put my siblings and me through school, but I am not sure how much further I can push them.

Throughout my time in Vancouver, I’ve worked multiple jobs, from tutoring math and science to co-op placements in my field of study. Tuition for international students faces significant raises each year. With the loss of my financial support system, I owe $55,000 just in tuition. On top of that, I still have to finance my own housing, groceries, medication, etc. Asking for support in paying for tuition is an extremely difficult step for me, but I desperately need it to see my degree through. I’ve made significant sacrifices, rarely seeing my parents due to the travel expenses, working long hours, taking extra time with my degree so I can work more, spending hours writing long scholarship applications, and compromising on my quality of life, alongside the many other struggles that come with being a BIPOC international student in a competitive program.

My priority has always been to excel in school, and I’ve been on UBC’s Dean’s Honour List and have presented my research at multiple conferences despite only being an undergraduate student. In addition, I’ve been working multiple jobs since the end of my first year to cover daily expenses. Bringing my dream to life means breaking into a heavily White- and male-dominated field, a task that is already strenuous without the additional financial pressures. Without your support, my dream is at risk of never coming alive; I would never know how many people my research and ideas could help. After graduation, I plan to continue working in biotech and pursue graduate school to bring the latest therapeutic technologies to meet the unmet needs of patients around the world. Although people on my journey have believed in me and my goal of becoming a world-acclaimed scientist, I need more people to believe in me in my last year. Your support will help me achieve these goals and make a meaningful impact.

I know $55,000 is a lot of money, and I’m pursuing other pathways of raising those funds besides donations. I know we’re all struggling with the rising cost of living and an economic recession looming over us. I also know that my struggle is neither unique nor isolated. All I need is to get through my very last year of university, but I can’t do it without your help. If you can spare anything, even just $5, that would mean so much to me, and I will be endlessly grateful for it.