Help send Curtis to grad school!

This is our friend Curtis Johnson, from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. He recently graduated with an Honours B.A. in Economics and Finance from the University of the West Indies. Curtis has been accepted into the graduate program in Economics at Ohio University, concentrating on development.

Ohio University awarded Curtis a Graduate Recruitment Scholarship of $16,180. This covers approximately 50% of his program's costs. Expected support from the government of St. Vincent has not materialized. While he will supplement his scholarship with on-campus work, the university estimates the cost of living during program at $30,000. This leaves him about $14,000 short.

International students from poor countries face special challenges. Last year Curtis was accepted to the London School of Economics, but after 2 months of online coursework he had to withdraw due to a lack of funds.

Curtis’s ambition is to serve in St. Vincent's Ministry of Finance. He’d also like to work with non-governmental organizations geared towards equality and development. He hopes eventually to work with CARICOM on multilateral agreements that focus on poverty and inequality.

Curtis explains, "As a Caribbean national, I take it upon myself to work towards the economic development of the entire region and not just my individual country. Therefore, I hope eventually to work for the Caribbean Development Bank, particularly in the Projects Department, where I would help in providing sound economic projects and programs to the region. People are born into poverty every day, and so I have made it my life’s mission to battle poverty and other inequalities starting with my little corner of the world, extending to any place where economic inequality exists."

Please join us in helping Curtis address this shortfall? It would be a shame if he had to postpone his studies again. His potential contribution to the well-being of his community definitely should not be wasted. A contribution of any amount will be gratefully appreciated.