Ainsley's National History Academy Fundraiser

Friends & Family,

I recently was accepted as one of just 90 students from across the country into the National History Academy with a $7,000 scholarship. However, I still need about $2,500 to cover the remaining portion of tuition and the cost of traveling from Washington to Virginia and back.

The National History Academy, or NHA, is a month-long summer program in the Washington D.C. area for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It seeks to help students increase their knowledge of American history and civics. NHA operates out of Foxcroft School, a private boarding school on more than 500 acres of land in Middleburg, Virginia. The program starts on July 3rd and concludes on the 29th. With four weeks of learning available, we will focus one week each on:

James Madison and the making of the U.S. Constitution;

A nation divided: Lincoln and the challenge of secession;

Women’s rights and the fight over the ERA; and

Martin Luther King and the struggle for black voting rights.

We will use a combination of the Harvard Case Study model, visits to the defining sites of American history, a speaker series, and parliamentary debates to learn more about American history throughout the ages.

I am writing to ask for your support as I only have about a month to raise the funds needed for my remaining tuition costs and eight weeks to fully raise the travel expenses to get from my home to Foxcroft School. Would you support me with a gift to help make this life-changing experience possible?

I am extremely passionate about history, especially American history, and this program will allow me to delve deeper into the subject than I ever have before. I am considering an education degree when I go to college, and I would like to specialize in history. I can learn so much more about an historical event by standing where it happened than I can by reading about it in a textbook or sitting in a class. I am confident that attending this program will help me attain my goals in the future and allow me to spend my summer learning about something I love.

I would be so honored if you would support me in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Thank you for considering my request. I hope you have a beautiful Spring! If you would like to learn more about the National History Academy, check out www.nationalhistoryacademy.org.

With gratitude,

Ainsley Hayes Sievers