Launching 'Second Chance', a new non-profit
Donation protected
IN A NUTSHELL:
Second Chance does something that no one else does.
You see, many exceptional international students apply to US universities and apply for financial aid.
And many of these students get offers they still cannot afford. There are financial gaps. And as a result, they simply can't go.
Second Chance helps these students to get a full scholarship, AFTER the US admissions cycle has finished.
In the past four years, we’ve helped 101 high achieving, low income (HALI) international students get a second chance at higher education.
Now, we want to turn our volunteer initiative into a non-profit organization.
Your support and help can make this possible.
BACKGROUND:
Four years ago, in 2018, 60 students in Nepal lost their full scholarships from University of Texas at Tyler (US), due to a budgetary error on the part of the university.
These students had dreamed of studying in the US until their scholarships were revoked. This incident occurred so late in the admissions cycle that students had no options in the US, never mind any options in Nepal.
I stepped forward to galvanize a movement for these 60 students. With a wonderful team, the Nepal Justice League, we found and re-seated 56 of these students at new universities in the US, Canada, Middle East, and East Asia, with 10+ million in financial aid and scholarships. We then fundraised 180K to fill the financial gaps.
In the years that followed, I began an access initiative called Second Chance, to support international students who were unable to get access to US higher ed due to finances. I began assembling and leading pro bono counseling teams to support these students.
My teams and I place students with full scholarships, in the space following the US admissions cycle - April, May, and June. (If you work in admissions, you will know how impossible this is.)
At the time of this post, Second Chance has seated 101 international students with full or nearly full scholarships - and all after the US cycle has finished - at universities in the US, Canada, India, Hong Kong, S Korea, Ghana, and Mauritius.
Second Chance has always been free to students. We do not want a lack of finances to stand in the way of gaining access to higher education.
TRACK RECORD:
- The case of 60 Nepali students whose scholarships were lost in 2018. Read more here.
- Pratima Thami, nationally-recognized student from Nepal who had no offers of admission after applying in the 2019-2020 admissions cycle. I helped her get to the Watson Institute at Lynn University. Read more here.
- Nhial Deng, a refugee from Kakuma Refugee Camp, admitted to UC Berkeley in 2021, with no financial aid. We helped him find a new university with a full scholarship after the admissions cycle was over. He's now at Huron University in Canada. See video here.
WHY WE DO THIS:
- Because access to higher education is critical for social and economic opportunity, and global mobility.
- Because tertiary education empowers students, giving them the tools they need to make a more significant impact and contribution to their communities.
- Because every year, thousands of students are rejected from US universities simply because they are from low-income backgrounds. Trying to get a full scholarship is insanely competitive.
THE GOAL:
My aspiration is to raise 35-45K in seed money to start a non-profit.
Your support would help provide for major budget items such as legal support, incorporation, marketing, and support with indirect costs (visa costs, healthcare, flight, books) for students traveling overseas.
We would love your support. You can help me move what has been a volunteer initiative into a non-profit organization.
Help Second Chance get off the ground. Together, we can ultimately support exceptionally talented, low income students to access higher education.
ABOUT ME:
After 22 years working as a counselor in secondary schools, I'm leaving my university advising job at United World College in SE Asia to launch a non-profit called Second Chance. I'm exiting Singapore and moving to Turkey - to lower my living costs and to focus on launching this non-profit.
For the entirety of my career, I have felt called to support high achieving, low income international students in their endeavors to access higher education in various parts of the world. This is my passion.
Thank you for listening.
With deep appreciation,
Joan Liu
Organiser
Joan Liu
Organiser
Las Vegas, NV
