My name is Brandon and I am raising funds to support my closest friend, Chloe Mak, as she navigates a seemingly insurmountable financial and medical crisis. These funds will go towards tuition fees that are currently preventing her from completing her education and accessing vital student health services.

Chloe is a 21-year-old, first-generation, fourth-year student from Hong Kong, studying applied psychology on the pre-med track at New York University. She has one semester remaining before graduation. Chloe has faced ongoing financial hardships since her second year, and as an international full-time student, she has exhausted all avenues for supporting herself independently. As such, she requested a leave of absence to relieve some pressure and regain financial stability.

However, instead of granting a leave of absence, NYU decided to administratively consider Chloe graduated as of Fall 2025, waiving the last remaining academic requirement for her major that she was scheduled to complete this coming semester. This prevents her from completing her remaining medical school pre-requisites, abruptly closing off a path that she had been working intentionally towards for the past three years.

This decision has also had other serious consequences. Chloe has been struggling with anorexia nervosa since she was 14. She was only able to finally seek appropriate treatment at NYU, where she was officially diagnosed a year ago. In the past year, she had been actively engaged in treatment with a licensed therapist and dietitian at NYU. As a result of the current situation, Chloe suddenly lost access to NYU’s student health insurance and the Student Health Center, which includes this established care team who have been central to her recovery. The loss of this support system has been immensely destabilizing, adversely impacting her treatment.

Chloe is also studying in the United States on an F-1 student visa. Her immigration status has been directly affected by this decision to retroactively consider her graduated. She was only notified of this change two days ago, leaving her with extremely limited time to respond, pursue alternative options, or apply for post-graduation positions that international students would typically rely on to remain lawfully in the U.S.

Most of all, as someone close to Chloe, I have watched the emotional toll of this unfold day by day. She had been working and volunteering tirelessly alongside her studies, doing everything she could to support herself, but those opportunities disappeared overnight when her enrollment status changed. She is navigating this crisis without family in the U.S., and her parents are not in a position to provide sufficient financial support. With each morning consisting of waiting to see what new update or loss might arrive in her inbox, the stress and uncertainty of her situation have begun to erode the progress she had worked so hard to make in recovery.

Chloe is a bright, deeply compassionate person who chose the pre-med track because she wants to work with young people and support others through the struggles she knows firsthand. Watching her hold herself together while the foundations beneath her are abruptly pulled has been such an absolute struggle.

Please donate to support Chloe during this critical time. The funds will go directly to her tuition fees, which would allow her to complete her final semester and access her care team through the Student Health Center. Any contribution, no matter the amount, will help restore stability, protect access to care, and give her the breathing room to focus on recovery without the added weight of an overwhelming financial burden. Sharing this campaign also makes such a meaningful difference.