* Update: Dang! Everyone has really come through and in less than a week has nearly gotten Avary to her goal. How amazing! Thank you all so much! There was a donation that came from outside this fundraiser so I adjusted the total to reflect the new goal. *

Hi all! Katie here, one of Avary's aunties. :) I am very proud to announce that my niece has been offered an amazing opportunity in her field. I’m so inspired by Avary’s passion for bioarchaeology and her dedication to her studies that I wanted to help her make this happen. Seeing her work so hard toward her dreams makes me truly believe she will make the most of this incredible opportunity. I want to be a part of helping her realize those dreams, and I’m excited to invite friends and family to join me in supporting her journey. We only have until April 8th to fundraise, so I’m reaching out for support. Please know that there’s no pressure to give a lot at once—every meaningful contribution, even small ones over the next few months, will help make this experience possible for her.

Here’s a message from Avary:

"I have the pleasure of announcing that I have been invited to spend a month this summer at a bioarchaeology field school on the island of Astypalaia, Greece. During this time, I would be attending classes and working hands-on in both laboratory and excavation settings. What makes this site especially unique is the rare opportunity to work closely with juvenile osteology, which is an area that's understanding is critical to my academic and professional goals and one that is rarely available in such quantity. This experience would play a major role in furthering my education by allowing me to apply what I have learned in the classroom to real-world research, make valuable connections outside of my university and country, and gain direct field and lab experience that will be very important for graduate school and future professional work. I would be learning directly from experienced professionals, gaining mentorship and practical training that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom setting. I want to emphasize that this is not a month long vacation. The program requires six days of work each week, and much of the remaining time is dedicated to shared daily responsibilities and tasks. Now on a more personal note, this would be my first time out of the country, and I have no doubt that an experience like this would broaden my knowledge and perspective of the world as I start adulthood. I understand that being biologically related to me does not obligate anyone to help fund my education. However, any support you are able to offer to help make this opportunity financially possible would be deeply appreciated and sincerely remembered. Thank you for all your love and support!"

Thank you so much for considering a donation and for being part of Avary’s exciting journey!

PS Make sure you adjust the “tip” to zero before donating. They automatically slide that to a high percentage by default. Sneaky.