Help Me Study Abroad in Spain 2023

Hello family and friends,

First and foremost, I want to take this time to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my academic career. For those of you who know me personally, you know how much I have struggled with Lupus, and earning my bachelor’s degree has been far from easy for me. My journey has not been what you would normally expect from the everyday college student as I have endured countless days and nights in the hospital and have endured numerous surgeries just to get me to the finish line. Nonetheless, I never allowed any of these tribulations deter me in my pursuit of higher education. Thus, in 2022, with the support of my family and friends, as well as my determination to succeed, I graduated magna cum laude, and finally earned my bachelor’s degree! But I didn’t stop there!

Today, I am working towards earning my master’s degree in speech-language pathology and this summer, I will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad in Spain where I will be taking a Structures of Spanish course that will assist me in earning my bilingual certificate for the SLP master’s program at UTEP. But I need your help to get there and any amount of money you can donate to my GoFundMe account will help me tremendously! Your contribution will be put towards travel costs, lodging costs, meals and experiences which will help facilitate my learning of the Spanish culture and everything else Spain has to offer! More importantly, it is very important to me that I earn the bilingual certificate as it will prepare me with the necessary tools to provide therapy for bilingual patients in my community. Moreover, as someone who was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, I have witnessed the disparity that exists throughout my community when it comes to having access to rehabilitation services like speech therapy, especially in parts of town that are saturated with low-income families. As a future speech-language pathologist, it is my mission to open a practice where I can provide affordable therapy services for all children and adults regardless of socioeconomic status.

With that said, as most of you know, I have a complicated medical situation. I have suffered from Lupus since I was 17 years old, and my medical condition requires me to receive bi-weekly and monthly infusions. Since these infusions require a nurse to administer the medication, the university has allowed my husband Eric to join me on this trip so that he can administer these treatments while I am studying abroad in Spain. However, that is an added expense because we not only have to pay for my trip but Eric’s as well. For this reason, we are asking for help with our flight costs and Eric’s cost for lodging. Again, anything you can donate will be greatly appreciated!

Also, I feel it is important for you to know that Eric and I have devoted ourselves to serving the El Paso community as we have volunteered with El Paso Children’s Hospital, the El Paso Police Department, The Down Syndrome Coalition of El Paso, and have even choreographed quinceañera dances for families who could not afford to pay for expensive instructors. Additionally, in the past, I used to host weekly reading sessions for children with Down syndrome and as an undergraduate student, I volunteered at El Paso Speech-Language Pathology for Success and Excellence clinic. Today, I currently provide therapy for patients who have suffered from a stroke, as well as gender-affirming services and as for my husband Eric, he is currently a home infusion nurse who sees patients at home who are suffering from an autoimmune disease like me. Furthermore, Eric is also currently a graduate student and is seeking to become a family nurse practitioner after earning a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. I mention all of this in hopes that you will see the work Eric and I have done thus far, and so that you can see that your contribution will be put to good use. I want to earn my bilingual certificate so that I can be better prepared to serve the bilingual population in El Paso, and so that I can continue to give back to my community. Lastly, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story and for continuing to support me in my education, and my professional career.

Sincerely,

Mikaela Reyes