Hello, my name is Jessie, and I am creating this GoFundMe for one of my dear friends, Josue. Josue was born in Guatemala and came to the U.S. in 1994 at the age of 6 because of the Guerrilla War. After seven years in community college, the California DREAM Act allowed Josue to transfer and graduate from the University of California, Irvine, in 2016.

Josue's life journey has been far from easy, but they use that experience to shape the work that they do. Josue has been deeply involved in supporting clients that are LGBT+, undocumented, HIV+, and experiencing homelessness for the past 10 years. Josue now seeks to accomplish another goal of theirs, to pursue graduate education and advance in their career.

On a personal level, I have known Josue for almost 4-years now. Josue is a great, caring friend. They are extremely hard working and will support and care for their friends as if they are family and uses that exact love and care in each personal, professional, and academic project they engage in.

This upcoming Fall semester, Josue will be moving across the country and starting their Master of Social Work program at Boston College. Because of their citizenship status, Josue does not qualify for most scholarships, leaving a heavy financial burden on them. With the MSW degree, Josue hopes to continue to work with people of color, LGBT+ adults, undocumented individuals by providing therapy services to community members.

The university offered Josue some assistance for the 2-year program, yet Josue would still need to pay some money out-of-pocket. We hope to raise $10,000 to cover tuition for the program's first year.

Any and all support is greatly appreciated!