Julia's Grad School Moving Fund

I'm Julia, I recently graduated from Michigan State University with my BS in physics. The short story is that I'm a disabled non-traditional student who will start in the physics PhD program at the University of Central Florida in the fall. However, the cost of renting a large car or a U-Haul to drive myself and my things down start at nearly $1000. I have an apartment already secured and just need help with the moving costs. Any amount will help cushion the blow of driving myself and my two lovely pets 1200 miles, but $1000 will cover the cost of a car rental, and $2800 will cover the cost of a U-Haul. My move-in date for my apartment is August 14, so I need the funds before that weekend to be able to reserve the U-Haul or rental car.

Here's the long story: I dropped out of high school and took the GED in 2011 due to my depression and anxiety overtaking my life. I started at a local university that fall, but withdrew the following fall and winter because of my disabilities. With treatments, I was able to get my footing at Delta College and graduate with my associate in science while working part-time.

I transferred to Michigan State University, where I was an S-STEM Transfer Scholar and Charles Drew Science Scholar. Just after moving to East Lansing, my dad died, which made the transition to MSU difficult. However, I persevered and ended up making many friends, directing the MSU Physics Choir, and researching with the Physics Education Research Lab. I even have had two papers published, one as a first author, and more papers in the works right now.

This summer after graduating, to cover my cost of living and my moving costs, I have worked full-time, doing research for two different physics labs at MSU. I have continued my work with the Physics Education Research Lab, and I have started work with the IceCube collaboration, working on machine learning applications in neutrino physics.

In Florida, I have an incredible advisor to work with, Professor Jacquelyn Chini, doing qualitative and mixed-methods physics education research. Ideally, I want to research the prevalence and effect of depression and anxiety on physics students, but we will see where my research takes me.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, any amount of help is appreciated!

Much love from Julia, Theo, and Gil