Help Fund Muntaha's 1st Year of Grad School!

I'm Muntaha Mohamed and I was accepted into Howard University's African Studies M.A program for Fall 2021, and intend to move to D.C in August! (masha'allah tuff-tuff)

Although I am incredibly overjoyed, and excited with this amazing news, only a few minutes after I was accepted, I already felt overwhelmed and disconcerted thinking of all the logistics, money, and expenses that this decision takes. My family had to remind me to worry about it another day and soak in the celebration first. 

I exist as a Black women in this world. I grew up in a single parent, immigrant, low-income household, and had $0 savings up until quarantine started because of the lack of traveling to and from work, among other expenses that were lifted, while working from home. I also have been using my full-time income to continually support my family's needs alongside my own. And once school starts, I am leaving my job, because school is a huge responsibility, and my role especially requires someone local. 

I am making this GoFundMe so that I can feel assured I have done everything I can to feel supported. I plan to apply/move forward as a graduate assistant in my second year of this program- but for my first year this is not an option. Graduate assistants for the upcoming school year were already being hired when I received my acceptance letter in May 2021. 

This GoFund me is a great asset to help my immediate costs of tuition, rent, books and other necessities, as well as contributing to making a dent in the debt I have already been issued for undergrad (30,000+ with interest). And this number has already grown from the upcoming year's costs. I put down $35,000 for now as the goal, even though the full cost for one year is $58,000. So this is my heads up that I may increase the goal as time goes on!

If you have a full time job with extra income, have access to generational wealth, have a kind heart, or if you care about me, Black women's futures, or believe in the right to an abundant, debt-free life, I invite you to donate. 

If you feel unable to donate, I invite you to share, comment, and like!

I greatly appreciate you reading, listening, sharing, interacting, and gifting monetarily. Thank you. 

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"It’s true: there are a lot of scholarships available specifically to minority students and other special populations, but there are plenty of other scholarships open to all students. A 2011 report by FinAid found white students still receive over 75 percent of all merit-based scholarships and are 40 percent more likely than minority students to be awarded a private scholarship." https://www.gograd.org/financial-aid/scholarships/ 

"Scholarship and grant funds can dramatically reduce the overall cost of higher education, but you’ll likely still have to pay a certain amount out of pocket or take out a small loan. According to U.S. News & World Report, only .3 percent of all students are able to cover all costs with only scholarships or grants." https://www.gograd.org/financial-aid/scholarships/