Help Indigenous Student finish last year for BA
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Hello, my name is Blossom Armstrong and I am a rising senior at Lake Forest College. I am from the Colville Indian reservation residing in Coulee Dam Washington. Over the past few years at the college I have worked hard to pay towards my tuition. I have had no financial help from family since my academic journey began at this institution. When I started working towards my degree it was in hopes of bringing knowledge back to my community surrounding mental health/suicide and reconciliation within indigenous communities. While studying a variety of topics I’ve pondered on my passions and how they could intersect with social justice for my people. The moment that set fire to my passion was when Lake Forest College desensitized their findings of indigenous human remains that have been on campus and provided little to no help in honouring those bones traditionally. To me it felt as another institution had taken advantage of my people and then disregarded how their indigenous students would feel about it. For the last two years I have been fighting to be seen, I’ve been tokenized, and forgotten. My junior year arose and I found myself having the hardest year I’ve experienced in my 21 years of living. February 2 of 2024, my 17 year old brother committed suicide back in my hometown. It was a gut wrenching experience and was an indescribable feeling to see my little brother gone, especially when I had just seen him 2 weeks prior. I had 2 months to grieve until I found myself on another flight to a funeral. My mom had passed on April 16, 2024. It was so difficult to hold all those emotions in as I was in shock of all the feelings I could bear, let alone act normal and move on with my life as a college student. This time around I had exactly 1 month to grieve before I got a call saying that my sister had passed May 16, 2024. As I was on that flight to put my sister to rest I couldn’t bear these emotions anymore. In my mind I was just with her putting our mom to rest and now I’m putting another sibling to rest. These last few months had taken a lot from me. The only thing that has been keeping me going is the BA degree I’ll get to bring back this time next year. That May 2025, I would be able to celebrate my achievement's and start my next chapter in giving back to my community. The major challenge that has completely halted me is the $30k + I owe to my institution. There has been no grace shown with this years circumstances and because of that I have been asked not to return until I have paid my balance. This fundraiser would go strictly towards my tuition in hopes of finishing my last year off strong. Thank you for all who donate it means so much.
Organizer
Blossom Armstrong
Organizer
Lake Forest, IL