Help Kæ Overcome Institutionally Imposed Debt

My name is Kænnetra A’Seidu, and I’m asking for your support as I push through one of the most difficult chapters of my educational journey. I’m a 21-year-old scientist, scholar, and survivor currently completing my Bachelor of Science in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. I hold a GPA above 3.0 and have built a meaningful body of work rooted in trauma-informed science, faith, and the future of liberation of the Black metacognitive framework.

I’ve never taken my education lightly, life never gave me the convenient fluff to. But in all this turmoil, I’ve written across disciplines, advocated for myself through systems stacked against me, and supported others while managing my own survival. Overall, the reality is—this year has brought me to a point of serious financial and emotional burnout.

What brought me here is more than a story of hardship—it’s a story of institutional mismanagement and broken trust.

I chose to attend Virginia Tech because I was awarded a prestigious full-ride scholarship intended to support students like me—first-generation, brilliant, and navigating adversity. My other options that rang on my door in my undergrad admissions process, including elite institutions like UC Berkeley, Harvard, USC, and Dartmouth, had significantly stronger networks and resourcing. However, I chose this school based on a belief in their commitment to equity and my financial need at the time. I have a contractual right to believe that my scholarship will be fully executed as outlined. That belief was ultimately not honored.

Here is when things went instrumentally and administratively wrong: a senior financial administrator assured me directly—verbally—that I would receive the disability accommodations I needed for my life-threatening allergies, eczema, and asthmatic conditions, including access to independent housing. That never happened. Instead, I was left in unreliable housing conditions, without the support that had been promised to me under the very scholarship I committed to. This isn’t just about the missed support. It’s about being made to carry the weight of institutional negligence for months—while still being expected to perform, achieve, and push forward. It’s cost me time, energy, stability, and peace. And it’s not over. Right now, I’m asking for help to close this chapter and pursue legal accountability for what I’ve experienced.

Your support will allow me to move forward—on my terms. It will help me clear the backlog created by this harm and open space for me to finish strong, apply to graduate programs with stable & reliable support, and continue building work that serves and uplifts. I’ve already proven what I’m capable of. This isn’t about potential—this is about justice. Thank you for standing with me. Whether you donate, share, or send a message of encouragement—it all matters.

With strength and gratitude,

Kænnetra A’Seidu