My name is Darian, and I am a full time dental student at Howard University College of Dentistry asking for support to continue the education I have worked toward since 2019. Right now, I have a remaining balance of $3,600 for this semester, and paying it is critical to helping me remain enrolled and continue my studies. Changes to federal student loan funding through the Big Beautiful Bill, along with being unable to secure enough private funding, have left me with a gap I cannot cover on my own.

This support would cover my remaining fall balance as well as my spring and summer tuition and cost of attendance. This would give me the stability to focus on school while I continue pursuing merit based institutional opportunities and the military HPSP scholarship to help fund the remainder of my dental education. Dentistry is my ministry. I grew up watching people I love struggle with periodontal disease without adequate oral health education or consistent access to care. Those experiences shaped my desire to become a dentist who helps patients move beyond pain and shame and toward health, confidence, and a smile they are proud of.

If you are able to give, any amount brings me closer to staying in school and continuing this journey. If you cannot donate, sharing my fundraiser is just as meaningful and may help it reach someone who can. Thank you for supporting me, believing in what I am working toward, and helping me get one step closer to becoming the dentist I have spent years preparing to be.