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https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/south-bay-couple-finds-acceptance-at-ivy-league-after-overcoming-troubled-past/2601837/?fbclid=IwAR2_XqDaIfUXsC-T_tDZvYlhZVvr7jENIkPg8_maaMG3kxcA8e2WSVBTICk 
Thank you for clicking on our GoFund Me page. Anna and I are truly grateful for your donation and support. We are asking for help because it is our dream to attend Columbia. Although we have been accepted into some great schools, we would love to have the opportunity to attend an Ivy League school. We have overcome many obstacles in our past and are still facing them today. The Ivy League is not made for individuals like us, they use their high tuition rates and minimal financial aid packages to keep us from thriving in their educational environments. We are former high school dropouts who obtained our high school diplomas in 2019. We have five children who we have to look after, one of which has Autism. I submitted all my tax documentation and even my mother's, because they ask for it until you are over 42 years old. It is a very rare thing for an Ivy League school to accept a Chicano or Chicana into their institutions, what are the odds that both of us were accepted, we both were accepted on our academic merits and not our relationship status. As Puentistas, Puente is a learning community that focuses on Latinx progression in higher education, we would be one of the first to attend a prestigious Ivy League school on the east coast. Additionally, we are community activists and honor students who fight for what we believe in and want to take these values and morals to this institution.
Although we have been blessed in our current situation, we have had many financial issues while being in school. We currently use county assistance programs like CalWorks, CalFresh, and Section 8. Moving to a new state, it is not guaranteed that we will obtain these benefits when we get there. We would need to live in on campus housing because the proximity of our children's school is within blocks of Columbia and it would allow us to schedule our classes accordingly. We would also need to purchase food, not only for us, but for our children also. We would also need to pay our bills, purchase textbooks, school supplies, and clothing for us and our children (as they are growing). We would also have to pay for gas or transit to help us and our children with routine doctor appointments and also emergency visits. Child care would also be an issue for us as well, not too many places accept children on the spectrum. We would have to search for specialized child care, that usually costs more than regular child care. Additionally, our youngest daughter, as mentioned earlier, is on the Spectrum and it makes it difficult for us to work because they will reduce her benefits if our income changes. We fought for 2 years to obtain SSI and they make it very difficult for us to maintain them because of the strict rules.
What you see above is a screenshot of the COA and my financial aid award package. Imagine this times two because Anna would be giving them the same information as I did, except with her mother's tax information. This GoFundMe is going to cover us for both years.
We need your help to make our dream become a reality, we have until June 1st to make a choice on which college we are going to attend. We could take on debt but that would severely hinder us from obtaining our Master's and Doctorate degrees. Our mission is to attend this school and prove to our community that anything is possible, no matter your situation. We plan to return to our hometown community college, Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA, to give back to our community and pay forward all the blessings that were given to us. Whether that be through teaching, financial, civic, etc.
Our ask may seem like a lot but your contribution will be put towards a worthy cause. The education of underdogs who rose from darkness into the light.
Thank you.
Thank you for clicking on our GoFund Me page. Anna and I are truly grateful for your donation and support. We are asking for help because it is our dream to attend Columbia. Although we have been accepted into some great schools, we would love to have the opportunity to attend an Ivy League school. We have overcome many obstacles in our past and are still facing them today. The Ivy League is not made for individuals like us, they use their high tuition rates and minimal financial aid packages to keep us from thriving in their educational environments. We are former high school dropouts who obtained our high school diplomas in 2019. We have five children who we have to look after, one of which has Autism. I submitted all my tax documentation and even my mother's, because they ask for it until you are over 42 years old. It is a very rare thing for an Ivy League school to accept a Chicano or Chicana into their institutions, what are the odds that both of us were accepted, we both were accepted on our academic merits and not our relationship status. As Puentistas, Puente is a learning community that focuses on Latinx progression in higher education, we would be one of the first to attend a prestigious Ivy League school on the east coast. Additionally, we are community activists and honor students who fight for what we believe in and want to take these values and morals to this institution.
Although we have been blessed in our current situation, we have had many financial issues while being in school. We currently use county assistance programs like CalWorks, CalFresh, and Section 8. Moving to a new state, it is not guaranteed that we will obtain these benefits when we get there. We would need to live in on campus housing because the proximity of our children's school is within blocks of Columbia and it would allow us to schedule our classes accordingly. We would also need to purchase food, not only for us, but for our children also. We would also need to pay our bills, purchase textbooks, school supplies, and clothing for us and our children (as they are growing). We would also have to pay for gas or transit to help us and our children with routine doctor appointments and also emergency visits. Child care would also be an issue for us as well, not too many places accept children on the spectrum. We would have to search for specialized child care, that usually costs more than regular child care. Additionally, our youngest daughter, as mentioned earlier, is on the Spectrum and it makes it difficult for us to work because they will reduce her benefits if our income changes. We fought for 2 years to obtain SSI and they make it very difficult for us to maintain them because of the strict rules.
What you see above is a screenshot of the COA and my financial aid award package. Imagine this times two because Anna would be giving them the same information as I did, except with her mother's tax information. This GoFundMe is going to cover us for both years.
We need your help to make our dream become a reality, we have until June 1st to make a choice on which college we are going to attend. We could take on debt but that would severely hinder us from obtaining our Master's and Doctorate degrees. Our mission is to attend this school and prove to our community that anything is possible, no matter your situation. We plan to return to our hometown community college, Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA, to give back to our community and pay forward all the blessings that were given to us. Whether that be through teaching, financial, civic, etc.
Our ask may seem like a lot but your contribution will be put towards a worthy cause. The education of underdogs who rose from darkness into the light.
Thank you.