Liz Kameen's Moravian Education

Update: Thank you all so much for your support and generosity! Liz is being permitted to return to campus today August 31st. We will still be accepting donations that will go toward Liz's future bills from the university. Again, thank you all so much. The support for Liz right now is absolutely amazing!

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My name is Lizzy and I am writing to advocate for one of my best friends, Liz Kameen. Unfortunately, Liz and her family have been dealing with financial hardships resulting in Liz’s education at Moravian University being in jeopardy. Liz is the hardest-working person I have ever met. Not only does she have a 4.0 GPA but she also contributes significantly to Moravian’s community. Liz serves on the student government, is the managing editor for the Comenian newspaper, and works as a first-year writing fellow, along with so much more. Her contribution to this university is so great that I think Moravian would suffer a huge loss if she is unable to return. I believe Liz is the type of student that everyone should strive to be, she motivates me to want to be a better student personally. I spent a lot of time with her in the Fall of 2022 when we first met and became friends. It was so cool to meet another Lizzy and we immediately connected and started hanging out basically every day. The Fall 2022 semester was extremely hard for me. I was dealing with a lot personally during this time and Liz Kameen was the one person I was able to count on. If it was not for her I am honestly not sure where I would be right now because she was there for me 100%. During that semester I had multiple cases of mental health crises resulting in several hospital visits, a 4 week partial hospitalization program, and finally two weeks in-patient. During my time in-patient I called Liz on the phone everyday to talk to her. She helped me through the most difficult period of time in my life and I am forever grateful for her. Because she helped me so much when I was struggling, I want to help her. Liz is also very much demonstrating her care and passion for pursuing her education at Moravian. She has probably reached out to every person at the university that could possibly help her. I think almost any other person in her position would have given up by now and accepted their fate but Liz is fighting for herself and her education. Moravian has provided Liz with additional financial support but they are unable to provide the last couple thousand dollars that she needs to continue attending the institution. Every loan her and her widowed mother have tried to apply for has been rejected. Her fate was left up to the President of the university and his cabinet but they ultimately decided that she cannot return due to the outstanding charges. Liz is the strongest, smartest, most beautiful soul I have ever met and I will be absolutely devastated if she cannot return to Moravian University. Thank you for your time and generosity, it is greatly appreciated.

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Statement from Liz Kameen:

When I first attended my matriculation ceremony, I remembered hearing the president of my university say that he prided himself on how financial barriers would never prevent a student from attending our school. At that moment, I had received significant sums of financial aid and truly felt that statement, but unfortunately, the university has seemed to change its mind.

Unfortunately, my financial aid was significantly decreased coming into this year, leading me to a large bill that I was not expecting. Despite my best efforts and the combined recommendations from peers, faculty, and professors, the president’s cabinet decided not to award me additional aid to help me continue my education.

When I first enrolled in Moravian, it was the least expensive option, as I was a legacy student with a lot of extenuating circumstances; my first two semesters were almost entirely paid off through outside scholarships, student loans, financial aid, and additional financial rewards from Moravian. However, this year, the university stated it did not have the fiscal support to allow me to continue my education, forcing me to drop out of classes and clubs and forfeit the technology the school originally gave me to “level the playing field” between students with financial insecurities.

I hate asking for help, but this has honestly been the most taxing and stressful period of my life. I can’t imagine having to start over at a university when my family can’t even afford loans for my current school due to our house’s foreclosure, my mother’s cancer diagnosis, and my father’s passing of ALS after a long battle of seven years – an extremely expensive ailment to sustain. I helped take care of my father during all of this, even reviving him at his worst point while still maintaining a 4.0 GPA and being involved in countless activities.

Any cent is appreciated, and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read this.

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Also, be sure to check out Liz's shop where she sells her poetry and jewelry that she handmakes, link is attached:)Liz's Store