Help Michaella Graduate from Putney School

Dear family and friends,

This fall, I’m starting my senior year at The Putney School in Vermont. For me, this isn’t just another year of high school — it’s the moment that will determine whether I can finish something that has shaped my life, and step into the future I’ve been working toward. Putney has been my home away from home, a place where I’ve grown, found stability, and discovered who I want to become. But right now, I’m at a turning point: My classes start on September 4th, and I can only return and graduate if I raise the remaining balance for last year's tuition.

Four years ago, everything changed. My parents divorced, and my mom, my siblings, and I moved across two continents and five homes. My mom couldn’t work while shouldering the full burden of our family’s survival, yet she gave everything up to take care of us regardless of the challenges. We came back to New York from a very difficult year overseas with no stable home and no school to attend. In the middle of this chaos, my mom made a choice everyone said was impossible. After considering our options, although it was not her first choice to send us away, she agreed that my sister and I would go to Putney. It was our only path forward, so we could focus on school and have some stability, even if it meant facing hardship on her own.

It wasn’t easy. But we didn’t give up. With the help of my brother, our community, and the generosity of family and strangers, we made it work. Last spring, my sister Ariana graduated from Putney and has now started college on a merit scholarship. Through all of this, I’ve learned that when there is will, care, love, determination, and hard work, there is always a way.

Now it’s my turn, and I want to finish what I’ve started, graduate from Putney, and take the next step toward college and adulthood. The school has already given me scholarships and financial aid throughout these past years, but without filling this gap, I won’t be able to return for my senior year starting September 4th.

Putney has given me more than an education; it has taught me resilience, the value of hard work, and the courage to live with purpose. It has also given me a space to grow as an artist. Through my love of photography, I’ve found a way to turn struggle into creativity and to tell stories when words weren’t enough.

I know $24,000 is a big goal, but every single contribution matters. Whether it’s $5, $15, $150, or more, each gift brings me closer to graduating this spring. Your support will make a real difference — helping me cross the finish line and carry everything I’ve learned into my future.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for believing in me. I wouldn’t have come this far without you, and with your support, I hope to take this final step.

Yours,

Michaella Mor