Help Son of Deceased Single Mother Finish School

Hi, my name is Liam Paull-Dining, and I am fundraising to have funds for next year at Sonoma State University.

 

One of my mother's last texts to me was that she was looking forward to seeing me again. My birthday, March 17th, was fast approaching, and we were going to share a special dinner. Unfortunately, we never got that opportunity, as on Friday, March 11th, I came home from school to find my mother very unexpectedly deceased. The shock, and then the pain, stuck with me through my birthday and continues to this day. I have just turned 23.

 

My mother went above and beyond for me my whole life. When I was a child, she put herself through graduate school while raising me in order to provide for us both. This taught me perseverance, resilience, and work ethic. When I was 20, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which I had inherited from my father. The compassion she showed me, and everyone else around her, also lives on with me. My recovery has not been easy, and it is why I do not feel yet able to work and be a full-time student concurrently, in spite of enormous growth and progress over the last few years.

 

I was almost the valedictorian at my high school; my first two semesters at UC Irvine, I was an honor roll student. Then I, quite frankly, had to fight for my sanity. This is a battle that I have been winning—just last semester I was both on the honor roll again at SSU and got published in the school literary magazine. I have also found clarity and passion to focus on my aspiration to be a creative writer.

 

Your donation will pay for my out-of-pocket expenses for my remaining two semesters, expected to be $8,000. It will also pay for $200 of food for eight academic months (totaling $1,600). The remaining $400 is for my phone service plan and any excesses not covered in the other two categories. The last $500 would be for a summer class to make up some credits for this semester, which I hope to take online to lower costs. I appreciate you taking the time to learn about my journey and hope you can help me continue on it.

 

If desired, those who donate over $50 can go to @maria_paull_art on Instagram and request copies of my mom's beautiful relief prints, as supplies last.