Help Make My Bastyr University Dream Come True

SUMMARY
In 2020 I was accepted to my dream education program---I deferred my acceptance to move home and serve as a caregiver for my dad, who was nearing the end of a long battle with progressive Multiple Sclerosis. After several months as his primary caregiver, I said goodbye to my dad on May 1st, 2021. Now, looking forward, I am one of 15 applicants accepted to Bastyr University’s Holistic Landscape Design program beginning this October in Seattle, Washington. This degree will further my 7+ years experience as an urban gardener and allow me to find a more sustainable path to healing people, habitats, and communities.
I would graduate with a degree in Holistic Landscape Design and receive my Permaculture Design Certificate, as well as new networks and connections. I intend to search for a full-time work-trade in the area while in school to cover my living expenses and build my skills. Currently I am developing a line of healing salves, tinctures, and teas, offering landscaping, reiki and hypnosis services, while working towards finding greater security in a career that can combine these passions. 
After applying for all the financial aid I can, I am looking for the rest of the tuition and moving expenses to allow me to fulfill this dream. Throughout the past 18 months of pandemic and family caregiving, I have made very little money, and I spent some of my savings on my father’s funeral expenses. I’m asking for your help, either by buying some of my products and services I can currently offer, OR by directly supporting the cost of this educational opportunity through this GoFundMe.

HOW MUCH IS NEEDED
Tuition & Books - $18,000
Moving Costs - $1,800
($300 gas for 2300 mile trip + $300 pre-trip vehicle tuneup + $1200 storage costs)
Living Expenses (3 months) - $3,200
($800x4 = 3 months Seattle rent plus deposit)
****
TOTAL - $23,000

HOW I’LL SAY THANK YOU!
The joy I receive from healing people, plants, animals, and habitats all goes together, and I promise to pay forward every ounce of investment I receive as I develop a strong holistic business model using this degree. In the short term, if you’d like to purchase a service** or to receive a thank you gift*, please send me a message. :) Here’s an outline of what I can offer based on your donation.

Gifts of <$10 and up> will help me so much, and I will include your name in my prayer garden!
Gifts of <$250 and up> will receive your choice of gifts from my line of wellness products.*
Gifts of <$500 and up> will receive your of wellness products + your choice of one healing session** OR I’ll donate 10% to The Black Feminist Project 
Gifts of <$1000 and up> will receive your of wellness products + your choice of three healing sessions** OR I’ll donate 10% to The Black Feminist Project 
Gifts of <$5,000 and up> are equal to a typical landscaping contract---I will consult with you on your garden and landscape goals and create a design proposal to make them come true!
*salves, hydrosols, oxymels, teas, candles, eye pillows
** hypnosis, breathwork, reiki, dreamwork

If you don’t want a return item and just want to put the gift forward into the universe, feel free donate anonymously, and I promise to keep the energy moving forward and helping others.

MY JOURNEY
The wellness work that I do, whether it’s with plants or people, all goes together. How can we design our living spaces in a way that actively improves biodiversity, health, habitat creation, remediation, and restoration? How can we collectively heal from the traumas and stresses of the past decades, centuries, generations?
I have worked on many community and educational projects including: the world’s largest rooftop farm; growing food for communities in need; planting medicinal herb and pollinator gardens for churches, parks and senior centers; designing private edible gardens; installing and managing a 23,000 square foot rooftop pollinator garden for the NYC Audubon Society. Throughout my career I have worked amid low-income communities, communities of color; I've combatted food deserts and supported harm reduction services. The last project I managed is situated on top of one of the largest EPA-mandated Superfund sites in the country.
My own journey with addiction, depression, and trauma led me to study holistic health and wellness. I have actively practiced energy work, reiki, and hypnosis for the last 5+ years. All this has brought me even closer to realizing our society’s outstanding need for connection with nature in order to reimagine our place inside of the greater ecosystem that so heavily relies on our collective actions, contributions, and service to environmental causes at large. My dream goal is to design herbal hypnotic gardens and healing sanctuaries for people and animals alike. The Certificate of Holistic Landscape Design program at Bastyr University will not only further refine my knowledge of horticulture, permaculture, medicinal and edible plants, it will also give me an incredible opportunity to build connections with like-minded gardeners and healers from around the world.