Help Venus continue her college education

Venus is a junior at Rice University studying computer science. Last month, her father passed away unexpectedly, prompting her to move back to Dallas to support her family and grieve together. In order to pay for the funeral expenses, Venus’s family pulled from all of the sources they could, including many generous donations to her previous fundraiser. Once she updated Rice about her new living situation, the Office of Financial Aid notified her that they were rescinding $5000 worth of financial aid for the semester because she was no longer living in Houston. She received this news two days before her father’s burial. When Venus explained that the money was used to help her mother pay for funeral expenses, the office told her that they could not make any exceptions unless this were an “academic emergency.” The office did not provide any resources to help Venus navigate her situation. Instead, they only provided her with the contact information of the Wellbeing Center. No amount of emotional support will pay for the money that Rice demands from her. Venus is an irreplaceable member of our Rice community, and we cannot let a technicality take away her educational opportunities. Help Venus reach her fundraising goal so that she can enroll for classes in the spring semester! All donations and boosts are greatly appreciated <3