Hello all,

Sean here. Once again, I’m in need of some help from anyone willing to help me get to my dream. I’m currently stuck in a situation where I can’t finish the last semester of school due to a hold on my student account. The hold stems from back rent that I owe and it is barring me from finishing school and getting the degrees I’ve worked so hard to get. Life, as you know, has a way of getting messy and coming out of nowhere. I initially fell behind one semester of rent due to life circumstances: my mom got robbed, my power chair broke down, my manual wheelchair is out of commission, I temporarily lost health coverage, SNAP benefits, and SSI benefits when I transferred my life up to the Bay Area from SoCal, my grandpa passed away and my mom needed to travel for his funeral…the list goes on. The hold is keeping me from accessing my financial aid, which would have cushioned the blow and helped cover the rent, as well as keeping me from getting any help from the resource centers on campus. So essentially, they’re keeping me from funds and resources by putting the hold on my account, when the resources and the funds would pay for the hold. My debt grew from $7K to now being $22K. The campus has also sent a letter saying we have until June 30th to move from student housing. So now not only am I at risk of not graduating, but I’m also at risk of being homeless once again.

My real hope, and what I desperately want to happen is to reach my goal so I can finish school, become a lawyer, and function in life with stability. I understand that the goal is high, however, so if I can’t reach my goal to get back into UC Berkeley, then, at the very least, your assistance will be able to help my mother and I find a new place to live so we don’t end up on the street again. She is in stage 3 of kidney disease, and I’m a paraplegic with a pressure ulcer. We can’t survive on the street. Moreover, anyone who knows me knows how hard I’ve worked to get here, how much work I’ve put in while being here, and how much building a stable future means to me.

I have struggled through being paralyzed, battling my mental health, taking care of my mother, and financial burden all while volunteering at the local schools, keeping a high GPA, working on 2 degrees, and working on various projects aimed at improving the lives of others. I don’t want to lose this chance at breaking the cycle because the campus can’t show me grace.

If you can’t help out financially, as I know we are all struggling in today’s climate, all I ask is that you share this with friends and coworkers, or anyone you can think of that might be able to help me finish school and help keep my mom and I from being another unhoused family. Thank you for caring!