Keep Angel Enrolled in Mortuary School!
Donation protected
If you're here, you either personally know me or I'm your extra-quirky internet friend. Thank you for coming here to read my plea.
As many of you know, my life consists of many awful situations. My transparency within my traumas & obstacles, however, has given each of you an equal insight into those battles. I've used my experiences to speak out on topics that many struggle to confront: mental health, sexual abuse, physical abuse, physical disability, poverty, and death. I bare myself-- typically rather humorously-- in hopes that I can either help prevent pain for another person, or show them that there's a positive (and even often times humorous) side to things.
My motto is "if you can't laugh, you lose."
People consistently tell me they aren't sure how I'm alive today. Honestly, sometimes I'm even taken aback that I didn't end up under a bridge somewhere in Cincinnati. It's easy to do these days. Empathy is a trait I've naturally owned, but it increases with every difficult event in my life, as well as my perseverance, strength, compassion, and unrelenting drive. I'm determined to "make it out" and to never become the statistic that many of my childhood family & friends have become, and once I'm "out" I will use my platform to give back. First, though, I must make it to December 2019.
"Is this really happening?! Oh yeah, baby! It is!" May 2018, NKU.
I am the first person in my family to graduate college; one parent graduated high school & the other made it through middle school. My daughter's father--as well as myself-- never graduated high school. I was a double-dropout from two separate high schools, lost my parent two months before my 16th birthday, and became pregnant at 16 years old. Mental health issues plagued me during this time and for years to follow, including struggling with suicidal tendencies. My life turned upside down after the death of my parent, who was my grandmother & my primary caregiver my entire life. Her son--my father-- is a life-long drug addict who skipped town on us after she died.
Finally, over the course of about eight years and a lot of therapy, medical bills, nearly declaring bankruptcy, and then finding some peace of mind, I obtained my GED and attended Northern Kentucky University. While at NKU, I maintained a dean's list standing throughout multiple achievements:
• Department Academic Award in Native American Studies
• Academic Award for Archaeology research in South Carolina
• Student Anthropology Society Officer
• Formally legitimizing the Anthropology Society within the university
• Anthropology Laboratory Assistant
• Anthropology Research Assistant
• Conducted Independent Research on Historic Cemeteries
• Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society
• National Honor Society for Leadership and Success
I took my daughter to my anthropology lab, where she saw her first human skull! It was the skull I used for my forensic anthropology analysis project.
In May 2018, I graduated cum laude from NKU with my Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, with full intent to attend the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and become licensed to practice funeral directing & embalming in the state of Ohio. My experience with losing my parent at 15 affected me far more than I imagined, and it wasn't until I was older that I realized how traumatic it truly was. I began integrating this experience into my transparent conversations with people on those tough topics, which now include death.
From left to right: my sister, myself, and my daughter
My mother and I on my graduation day
My decision to enter death care is not only based on my personal experiences with death, but also because I plan to bring more options & complete transparency to my community when it comes to their end-of-life options. The knowledge I obtained in the Anthropology discipline has been indispensable in giving me a more well-rounded cultural relativism and a deeper understanding of the human condition. It also dovetails smoothly with death, and how humanity perceives & reacts to death. I want my community to know that when they walk through my door, they will be accommodated. Public education about death, dying, fears in death, and all end-of-life options are a top priority of mine.
As I mentioned, I had full intent on attending mortuary school after graduating from NKU. This is my graduation cap for NKU. ⇩
Today, I am about to enter my third semester at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. The program is only four semesters long, and I will receive my Bachelors in Mortuary Science in December 2019.
Only two states in the United States require a Bachelors of Mortuary Science in order to practice-- Ohio being one of them. This is where my biggest obstacle stands, and this is where I need your help.
My FAFSA federal student loans capped out after about mid-way through my second semester in mortuary school. You see, I used FAFSA for my first Bachelors (anthropology), and unfortunately for me, the highest degree you can obtain in mortuary science happens to also be a Bachelors. If I were obtaining a Masters Degree, I would have the funding available, but I don't have the funding to continue this mortuary science undergraduate degree; I had to apply for FAFSA as an undergraduate student again.
Once I received notification that my federal loans had capped out for their undergraduate assistance, I was left with a tuition balance of $3,338 for my first two semesters at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, where I just finished my second semester of a four-semester program.
Then, I received this notification on Thursday, May 2, 2019:
I now have less than one month to pay $3,338.
I am a full-time student, and have been for the last few years. I also recently became disabled, caused by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, after decades of joint & pain issues which have progressively worsened my mobility. You can learn more about this degenerative connective tissue disorder here. There was recently an anonymous 1 Million Dollar Donation toward genetic research on my disease, where I signed up for genetic testing to try and find the cause for my form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
My ability to work is currently very limited due to the nature of my accelerated mortuary school program, my numerous physician appointments, and the mobility limitations that my connective tissue disorder has caused me. I recently endured having my gallbladder removed, reconstructing my nose because the cartilage (connective tissue) in my nasal walls had collapsed, and going through intense physical therapy to help me be able to stand on my collapsing feet which also have attenuated, torn, and missing supportive tendons. My podiatrist suggested against the triple orthrodesis surgery to fuse my foot bones because I'm so young, and I still love things like hiking & archaeology. He said for me to wait until I'm at least 40 years old to do this surgery, if I'm able to hold out that long. Unfortunately, I will be seeing him soon for another MRI, as the condition of my feet have worsened.
Currently, I'm working two part-time jobs; one job is making calls from home which pays about $100 each month, and the other job is as a night intake student at my mortuary school which pays $30 per cadaver intake if there happens to be a drop-off to my school during a night when I am on-call.
My funds are extremely limited at this moment, and I can't begin to describe how excited I am to almost be finished with college and to focus on being in the work force, in a profession I love. However, I now have less than one month to come up with $3,338.
I have until May 24, 2019 at the end of the business day to pay $3,338 to bring my account current and remain enrolled for my last two semesters at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.
May also happens to be my birthday month. On May 20, I will be 33 years old. May is also Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month!
I have fought to my bare bones to get to where I am today, but I couldn't have done it without the help of my mother, grandmother, and a few of my kindest friends who had either offered me a job, a place to live, or even some money when I hit hard times.
In the spirit of choosing a charity to donate to for my birthday, I am choosing to donate to my own education. My education is the most important thing in my life right now, and I cannot move forward to do all of the amazing work I am called to do if I am unable to financially provide to this college. I have only two semesters left. I am at a 4.0 GPA currently, and my appreciation knows no bounds if I were able to continue this until the end.
I am praying that people have it in their hearts to help me get through this. I am out of options and out of time. I have spent my life showing people that it's possible to climb out from the deep, dark well-- that it gets better. I have spent countless hours & days talking one-on-one to people in need, who felt that I was the person that they trusted to speak to about their problems. I want to show my family, my child, my friends, and people like me who have a very disadvantageous background that you are not alone and you can do this. I still have faith in the power of community and the power of humanity to come together and help those in need. All I have ever wanted was an education.
"You take this world and make it what it should be. And don’t let the beliefs of a backward system define you. You are the one who has to live with the future, baby girl. So you live it. You understand?"
My current goal is to raise $3500 to cover my overdue tuition costs from my first two semesters, and will hopefully also cover the small fees charged by GoFundMe to host through their site. Right now, $3500 is my goal, although my total tuition cost in the end will be around $16,000 without federal aid, but I have to focus on the now, which is $3500.
The rug was pulled out from under me, so to speak, receiving an email on May 2 that I need to give $3,368 by May 24 in order to stay enrolled.
I will not be able to pay you back monetarily as I have been able to do in the past. I don't have much to give right now-- perhaps I can provide educational content via video or writing, I can make you an art piece, and keep you updated on my school status. Just know that every penny counts right now, and I will be forever in your debt for your contribution. I promise that I am worth it, and I will show you. It would be the best birthday gift ever, to be able to stay in school. Thank you so very much.
With Love,
Angelique
“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies . . . Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die . . . It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away.”
- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
As many of you know, my life consists of many awful situations. My transparency within my traumas & obstacles, however, has given each of you an equal insight into those battles. I've used my experiences to speak out on topics that many struggle to confront: mental health, sexual abuse, physical abuse, physical disability, poverty, and death. I bare myself-- typically rather humorously-- in hopes that I can either help prevent pain for another person, or show them that there's a positive (and even often times humorous) side to things.
My motto is "if you can't laugh, you lose."
People consistently tell me they aren't sure how I'm alive today. Honestly, sometimes I'm even taken aback that I didn't end up under a bridge somewhere in Cincinnati. It's easy to do these days. Empathy is a trait I've naturally owned, but it increases with every difficult event in my life, as well as my perseverance, strength, compassion, and unrelenting drive. I'm determined to "make it out" and to never become the statistic that many of my childhood family & friends have become, and once I'm "out" I will use my platform to give back. First, though, I must make it to December 2019.
"Is this really happening?! Oh yeah, baby! It is!" May 2018, NKU.I am the first person in my family to graduate college; one parent graduated high school & the other made it through middle school. My daughter's father--as well as myself-- never graduated high school. I was a double-dropout from two separate high schools, lost my parent two months before my 16th birthday, and became pregnant at 16 years old. Mental health issues plagued me during this time and for years to follow, including struggling with suicidal tendencies. My life turned upside down after the death of my parent, who was my grandmother & my primary caregiver my entire life. Her son--my father-- is a life-long drug addict who skipped town on us after she died.
Finally, over the course of about eight years and a lot of therapy, medical bills, nearly declaring bankruptcy, and then finding some peace of mind, I obtained my GED and attended Northern Kentucky University. While at NKU, I maintained a dean's list standing throughout multiple achievements:
• Department Academic Award in Native American Studies
• Academic Award for Archaeology research in South Carolina
• Student Anthropology Society Officer
• Formally legitimizing the Anthropology Society within the university
• Anthropology Laboratory Assistant
• Anthropology Research Assistant
• Conducted Independent Research on Historic Cemeteries
• Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society
• National Honor Society for Leadership and Success
I took my daughter to my anthropology lab, where she saw her first human skull! It was the skull I used for my forensic anthropology analysis project. In May 2018, I graduated cum laude from NKU with my Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, with full intent to attend the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and become licensed to practice funeral directing & embalming in the state of Ohio. My experience with losing my parent at 15 affected me far more than I imagined, and it wasn't until I was older that I realized how traumatic it truly was. I began integrating this experience into my transparent conversations with people on those tough topics, which now include death.
From left to right: my sister, myself, and my daughterMy mother and I on my graduation dayMy decision to enter death care is not only based on my personal experiences with death, but also because I plan to bring more options & complete transparency to my community when it comes to their end-of-life options. The knowledge I obtained in the Anthropology discipline has been indispensable in giving me a more well-rounded cultural relativism and a deeper understanding of the human condition. It also dovetails smoothly with death, and how humanity perceives & reacts to death. I want my community to know that when they walk through my door, they will be accommodated. Public education about death, dying, fears in death, and all end-of-life options are a top priority of mine.
As I mentioned, I had full intent on attending mortuary school after graduating from NKU. This is my graduation cap for NKU. ⇩
Today, I am about to enter my third semester at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. The program is only four semesters long, and I will receive my Bachelors in Mortuary Science in December 2019.
Only two states in the United States require a Bachelors of Mortuary Science in order to practice-- Ohio being one of them. This is where my biggest obstacle stands, and this is where I need your help.
My FAFSA federal student loans capped out after about mid-way through my second semester in mortuary school. You see, I used FAFSA for my first Bachelors (anthropology), and unfortunately for me, the highest degree you can obtain in mortuary science happens to also be a Bachelors. If I were obtaining a Masters Degree, I would have the funding available, but I don't have the funding to continue this mortuary science undergraduate degree; I had to apply for FAFSA as an undergraduate student again.
Once I received notification that my federal loans had capped out for their undergraduate assistance, I was left with a tuition balance of $3,338 for my first two semesters at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, where I just finished my second semester of a four-semester program.
Then, I received this notification on Thursday, May 2, 2019:
I now have less than one month to pay $3,338.I am a full-time student, and have been for the last few years. I also recently became disabled, caused by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, after decades of joint & pain issues which have progressively worsened my mobility. You can learn more about this degenerative connective tissue disorder here. There was recently an anonymous 1 Million Dollar Donation toward genetic research on my disease, where I signed up for genetic testing to try and find the cause for my form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
My ability to work is currently very limited due to the nature of my accelerated mortuary school program, my numerous physician appointments, and the mobility limitations that my connective tissue disorder has caused me. I recently endured having my gallbladder removed, reconstructing my nose because the cartilage (connective tissue) in my nasal walls had collapsed, and going through intense physical therapy to help me be able to stand on my collapsing feet which also have attenuated, torn, and missing supportive tendons. My podiatrist suggested against the triple orthrodesis surgery to fuse my foot bones because I'm so young, and I still love things like hiking & archaeology. He said for me to wait until I'm at least 40 years old to do this surgery, if I'm able to hold out that long. Unfortunately, I will be seeing him soon for another MRI, as the condition of my feet have worsened.
Currently, I'm working two part-time jobs; one job is making calls from home which pays about $100 each month, and the other job is as a night intake student at my mortuary school which pays $30 per cadaver intake if there happens to be a drop-off to my school during a night when I am on-call.
My funds are extremely limited at this moment, and I can't begin to describe how excited I am to almost be finished with college and to focus on being in the work force, in a profession I love. However, I now have less than one month to come up with $3,338.
I have until May 24, 2019 at the end of the business day to pay $3,338 to bring my account current and remain enrolled for my last two semesters at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.
May also happens to be my birthday month. On May 20, I will be 33 years old. May is also Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month!
I have fought to my bare bones to get to where I am today, but I couldn't have done it without the help of my mother, grandmother, and a few of my kindest friends who had either offered me a job, a place to live, or even some money when I hit hard times.
In the spirit of choosing a charity to donate to for my birthday, I am choosing to donate to my own education. My education is the most important thing in my life right now, and I cannot move forward to do all of the amazing work I am called to do if I am unable to financially provide to this college. I have only two semesters left. I am at a 4.0 GPA currently, and my appreciation knows no bounds if I were able to continue this until the end.
I am praying that people have it in their hearts to help me get through this. I am out of options and out of time. I have spent my life showing people that it's possible to climb out from the deep, dark well-- that it gets better. I have spent countless hours & days talking one-on-one to people in need, who felt that I was the person that they trusted to speak to about their problems. I want to show my family, my child, my friends, and people like me who have a very disadvantageous background that you are not alone and you can do this. I still have faith in the power of community and the power of humanity to come together and help those in need. All I have ever wanted was an education.
"You take this world and make it what it should be. And don’t let the beliefs of a backward system define you. You are the one who has to live with the future, baby girl. So you live it. You understand?"
My current goal is to raise $3500 to cover my overdue tuition costs from my first two semesters, and will hopefully also cover the small fees charged by GoFundMe to host through their site. Right now, $3500 is my goal, although my total tuition cost in the end will be around $16,000 without federal aid, but I have to focus on the now, which is $3500.
The rug was pulled out from under me, so to speak, receiving an email on May 2 that I need to give $3,368 by May 24 in order to stay enrolled.
I will not be able to pay you back monetarily as I have been able to do in the past. I don't have much to give right now-- perhaps I can provide educational content via video or writing, I can make you an art piece, and keep you updated on my school status. Just know that every penny counts right now, and I will be forever in your debt for your contribution. I promise that I am worth it, and I will show you. It would be the best birthday gift ever, to be able to stay in school. Thank you so very much.
With Love,
Angelique
“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies . . . Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die . . . It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away.”
- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Organizer
Angelique Collins
Organizer
Cincinnati, OH