Help me get to Shanghai to see my oldest son graduate!

I am about to graduate from Yale School of Nursing this month, where I have been studying to be a certified nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner. I came to this change in careers after nearly 20 years working in community and public health in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas. My oldest son Asiko will also be be graduating with his undergraduate degree in electrical and computer engineering from New York University in Shanghai in China on May 25th. Due to an unforeseen change in NYU policy, he will not be able to walk the stage in New York as we had planned for and will have to attend the ceremony in Shanghai.

I am heartbroken at the prospect of having to miss his graduation ceremony. I graduated from NYU over 20 years ago (while I was nine months pregnant with Asiko). Attending graduate school with my three kids here in New Haven, my oldest in college abroad, and on one income has been extremely difficult for my family the last three years. In this last semester of my training my family has also incurred a lot of personal expense in having to commute several times a week to and stay in another state, our tenant in Texas left prematurely, and now after a recent car accident I am without a vehicle. I am still looking for a midwifery position, most probably in another state or at home in Texas. Asiko and his wife Jaanay will also be transitioning back to the U.S. this summer.

Please consider donating for this trip as a graduation present to both of us in this most trying time of transition.