Help Zeynep become a Biologist

Hello family and friends,

We have a bright, dedicated Turkish student who is in dire need of your financial support. Below is her story, which I would like to share with you. I believe, together, we can help her to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a biologist. Thank you all in advance for your generosity….

Hi, my name is Zeynep. As an international student, I am fundraising to be able to pay for tuition for my last semester at the University of Akron so that I can become a biologist. I have financial hardships due to the drastic change in the exchange rate of currency between Turkish liras and US dollars (when I started the university it was 1$=7₺ and now in August 2023 it’s 1$=27₺) which, unfortunately, is causing my family to not be able to help. They can barely help themselves to survive due to price increases in the cost of living (ex. 1kg cheese was 30₺ but now its 290₺, 1kg ground beef was 30₺ now it’s 270₺, 1 L of milk was 3,25₺ now it’s 32₺.) The average cost of rent prices has also gone through the roof (for a 1 bedroom apartment it's 10,000₺ per month, for a standard 3 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment it’s 29,500₺ per month). Also, the money my family receives from government retirement payments has not increased much (only worth just 500$ and going down by the day, which is not enough for my school or to cover food and shelter for themselves). My family is currently in debt due to my dad’s recent partner swindling him, and losing his new job (after being swindled) due to the natural disaster that happened where we lost more than 50,000 lives in Turkey.

As an international student, I can only work on campus due to my F1 visa status. I have 2 jobs on campus, but these jobs only pay 10$ per hour with a restriction of 20 hours per week. After taxes, it becomes $8 net pay per hour. I also have rent and food expenses that I must pay myself. My rent is $450. Therefore it’s hard for me to contribute toward my school tuition when I earn $650 per month and try to pay for food & shelter.

I need this money more than you can imagine. I’ve been hoping to become a scientist and a woman in STEM for my whole life. That is why I’m studying biology with a biomimicry certificate at The University of Akron. Biomimicry means everything to me. I want to help solve human problems by getting inspired by nature which lowers the costs and labor with increased efficiency. Every cent to help me make my dream come true is appreciated from the bottom of my heart! This money is only to go toward my tuition payment and will not be used in any other way. Thank you all!