Yasameen is a super bright, delightful and highly motivated young woman. She and her family fled Afghanistan, arriving in the US as refugees in 2023. She graduated from Alexandria City High School in May with a 4.0 GPA, very grateful that she could continue her education in our country. Throughout her harrowing journey to the US, her education remained her top priority – no matter what, she was determined to go to college and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

When she shared with me her admission offers from George Washington University, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia’s Year in Wise program, she beamed with pride and excitement. She could see the future she dreamed of in front of her, after overcoming countless obstacles.

But after months of endless emails and calls to get her financial aid packages, we were finally informed that she is not eligible for any federal student aid because her application for asylum is pending. She was crushed as she realized college was going to be out of reach for nearly every one of the schools that had accepted her.

But there is hope! This week, she was thrilled to hear from UVA that she can attend the UVA Year in Wise program if she can fill an $11,000 gap between her state financial aid and scholarships! With your help, Yasameen will go to UVA Wise for her first year, then shift to UVA Charlottesville for her last three years. This will truly change the trajectory of her life.

With classes starting in a month, Yasameen needs our help now. Please join me in helping Yasameen’s bright future be possible!