Here is Jan’s story:

Hello I am Jan Francis Palacios. I grew up in a small city in the Philippines. Growing up, I had to finance my school through academic scholarships, from elementary to college.

Coming from a low income family, I have always felt that I was put in a box and that we just settle for what we have. Yet, I am grateful for my mom and dad for being so supportive and helping me put this dream in my heart. That’s why I pursued my graduate degree here in the United States, hoping that with this I will be able to help get my family out from that box.

I have fought for a seat at this table. It has been intimidating but I have gotten this far. As someone from the outside looking in, I still believe that I can be a strong asset to this community and I can stay where I know I belong.

I hope my story resonates with you. I love you all and thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Jan

This is our friend Francis Palacios, but to all of his friends he is known as Jan. If you asked any person in the world who has taken the most risks, loved the most, and worked the most to be in this Masters program, they would say it’s Jan. But recently, his plan for finishing the program has fallen through due to unexpected financial hardship. So we are asking for your help.

Coming from his loving community and friends we can’t stand the thought of finishing this program without him. And there’s no amount of words in this world that we could use to fully describe the love and devotion we have found in this singular human being. He deserves to be here and we can only hope that you see that too. We would be extremely grateful for any amount of donation, no amount is too small.