Hi, I'm Vanessa. I'm writing this for my friend Esther, because she lives in Romania and GoFundMe doesn't let her run a campaign from there herself. So I'm doing it for her, and I want to tell you about her properly, because she would never brag about herself the way she deserves.

Esther is in her final year of a PhD in Communication Sciences at SNSPA in Bucharest. Three years of work. A 200-person survey across Nigeria and Romania. Twenty-six in-depth interviews with engineers and recruiters in both countries. A thesis on how engineers build their professional identity online works that genuinely matters for people in developing countries trying to be seen by global employers.

She is one defense away from being Dr. Esther.

And she might not get there.

HOW IT GOT TO THIS POINT

When SNSPA admitted Esther, she did not have the full tuition. The university let her enroll while she applied for the Romanian government scholarship the one run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through StudyinRomania. The official Letter of Acceptance from the Romanian Ministry of Education is attached to this page so you can see it for yourself.

She applied. She kept paying what she could out of her own pocket while she waited. By April 2024, the SNSPA PhD office sent her the first reminder that a balance was building. That email is also attached, along with her honest reply explaining she was still waiting on the scholarship decision.

The scholarship was rejected. She applied again. Rejected again. The official rejection letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is attached too.

She kept going anyway. Worked jobs, took on more debt, made it through three years of doctoral research while everyone around her had funding she did not.

Now she is at the finish line and the bill has come due:

€6,000 in outstanding tuition

€1,000 in late payment fees that have piled up

€800 to actually sit her defense

€7,800 total

The university has given her a grace period until June 30, 2026. After that, the door closes. Three years of research, an almost-finished thesis, the dream she has carried since she was a child, is gone.

She told me people told her who would ever want to help a PhD student and that it is a waste of time ; all she would receive will be mockery and laughter.

WHO SHE IS

I have known Esther for a while now, and I have to tell you: she is the last person who would ask for help. She has carried this herself for years. She has been transparent with her university the whole time; you can see that in the emails. She has applied for every scholarship she could find. The fact that she let me start this campaign at all tells you how serious it has gotten. She has nothing else left to try.

So I am asking on her behalf. Not because she expects it. Because she has earned it.

THE 9 PEOPLE WHO ALREADY GAVE

So far, 9 people have given €474. To those nine, Esther reads every name and every message. You have no idea what you have done for her. You are the reason she has not given up.

WHAT YOUR DONATION DOES

If you can give anything, anything at all, it goes directly to her SNSPA student account. Not to me. Not to her personally. Straight to the school.

€10 chips away at the late fees.

€50 covers part of the defense.

€500 closes nearly 7% of the gap.

Every euro is one step closer to a doctorate that will go on to help other people.

And if you can't give, please share this. One share to one person who cares about education, or research, or just people who refuse to give up. That costs nothing, and it matters more than you think.

VERIFICATION

Attached to this campaign:

— Letter of Acceptance from the Romanian Ministry of Education (PhD in Communication Sciences, SNSPA Bucharest)

— Official scholarship rejection from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

— April 2024 email from the SNSPA PhD Office about the outstanding balance

Esther's personal details have been redacted on these documents for privacy, but the official letterheads, signatures, and stamps remain visible.

Thank you for reading this far. I know there are a lot of campaigns out there. This one is real, this person is real, and the deadline is real.

— Vanessa

(writing for Esther, who is too scared to write this herself and a country restriction)