Help Send Diana to College

My name is Diana Romero. I am 18 years old and going into my first year of college at UC Davis in the fall, majoring in Animal Science. With hard work and determination, I graduated top 4 in my class at James Lick High School. Ever since I was a little girl I have always wanted to be a veterinarian and there’s no better school than Davis. Due to my success in high school I managed to get into my dream college, however I have hit a financial barrier. Although I was able to qualify for financial aid and received 3 scholarships, I am still expected to pay $5000 a year for tuition on top of my regular expenses. Although this amount doesn’t sound like a lot, it’s a lot of money for me and my family. My mother is an immigrant and currently undergoing an immigration process. She will have court in 3 months, where a judge will decide whether she gets to stay in the US or be deported back to Mexico. Due to my mom’s status in the US she has not been able to apply for a well paying job and has been working as a housekeeper for over 15 years. My step, dad who’s been around since I was 4 years old, has also struggled to get a well paying job. He’s currently a self employed gardener and works over 70 hours a week, however it’s not enough. With the high costs of living in the Bay Area and raising three children, my parents combined income barely gets us by. While in high school, I took it upon myself to help them make ends meet by obtaining various retail jobs and giving them my earned income. My lifelong dream has always been to graduate from a 4-year university and move on to graduate school. I will be the first in my family to attend a university. My siblings and my family look up to me and I really want to make them proud. From the bottom of my heart, I would really appreciate any donations, which will help me achieve my lifelong dream.  Thank You.