Hi! My name is Emily Owens. I am currently finishing a Master of Humanities in Visual Studies at CU Denver. I have been working on this program for two and a half years and am now at the end of my coursework. The present task at hand is to write a 100-page thesis, to be defended this spring, in time for a May graduation date. I have been working three jobs, five to six days a week, including freelance work and odd jobs since the lockdown ended, all while completing my coursework with a 4.0 GPA.

As a Teacher's Assistant and a Gallery Associate for the campus gallery, I have found myself in an interesting position as the campus is closed for winter break. I have very little work coming up, and desperately need to focus on my thesis work. During these breaks, I usually "hustle" to find as many odd jobs as possible to make my rent. This year, I am asking for something I, really, really need, and that is TIME.

As I am out of work from the end of December to late January, I would like to ask my community for help in allowing me to FOCUS on my thesis entirely, so I can write my best future PhD-candidate-worthy work. It has been incredibly difficult to find time to write between three jobs, mental health issues and general domestic and human tasks. To have an entire month to place a laser focus on academic work would be

an absolute dream come true. I am running out of time, and the anxiety of an upcoming graduation with no written thesis to speak of thus far has been incredibly taxing.

Anything that allows me the mental "break" from the capitalist grind would be... transformative.

A little about me:

A high school drop-out in 2003, after years of meandering through food service, I finally decided to go back to school full-time in 2014. In 2019, I earned both a BA in Art History and BFA in Photography. I had intended to apply for Masters in Art History programs on the East Coast when the pandemic hit. Suffice it to say, that was an incredibly difficult time, in which I was NOT awarded unemployment relief, resulting in a significantly economically challenging time in my life. During the lockdown, I decided the most intelligent thing to do was to return to CU Denver for my Master of Humanities. It has been an incredible opportunity, and I am ultimately grateful to have made this choice. BUT DANG! It is NOT EASY right now, in the American economic landscape. I have been lucky to be approved for SNAP and Medicaid, but working six days a week (most weeks) still just barely covers the rent.

To be out of work right now is disastrous. To have a month to breathe, interrupt the hustle-mania, have the rent and bills covered, and just FOCUS on my academic work ENTIRELY would be an incredible relief. I thank you for your consideration of my position. Your generosity, encouragement and support mean the world to me, even if that just means you read to the end of this! <3

May all beings live in Peace on Earth.