Donation protected
Dear Friends,
I am writing to ask for your help in raising money to make Marianna Torres’s dream of continuing her college education come true. Marianna is our friend from Venezuela whom most of you have met or paddled with at some point over the past four years. Thanks to the support of a few generous individuals, Marianna has been able to start her college career at Front Range Community College over the past semesters.
Marianna has been studying at Front Range for the past two years and is hoping to transfer to Denver Metropolitan State University and graduate with a degree in Industrial Design. In order to accomplish this goal, Marianna and her family are in need of financial assistance. I am asking you to consider contributing to Marianna’s college fund and make it possible for her to continue her education. Below is a letter written by Marianna telling her story and outlining her educational hopes.
I am Marianna Torres, a paddler from Venezuela. I moved to United States 3 years ago and I would love to tell some of my story.
My Family and I had the unfortunate experience of going through the hardest moment in history of my country. The economic situation of my country forced my family and me to move away, leaving everything behind. It was a 360 degree change. The day I stepped out of Venezuela, I had no plans longer than three months ahead. I started a totally new lifestyle where I was going to work full time and figure out what I should do in the next years. I was scared. My plans had suddenly disappeared. My family was not able to support me continuing my education anymore, and kayaking started to pass to the background which was a hard thing to accept.
Two years ago my stepmom was able to get a job offer here which helped us obtain a visa that would let us stay in Colorado. My mom and two of my siblings are under asylum in the US. They have been in Kissimmee, FL for three years, and they can not leave the country. We all had to start from scratch, from getting paid at a low rate, I had to work ten to twelve hours a day to just pay the bills. We all have to divide house expenses, insurance, and all the bills.
Every year our situation gets better, slowly and with hard work we have been able to find better paid jobs and place to leave in where we all fit. Since last year, my parents are able to contribute with tuition, which has reduced the amount I have been needing from external sources. This is a great accomplish for everybody on this project.
I feel really happy to announce that I am currently in my last semester at Front Range, I can not believe I will be transferring to MSU Denver on May. Through this path, I have had help from different families to continue my education. We were able to pay for the first two semesters as an International student thanks to the support of these families. After spring 2019, I qualified as an in-state student because we have been here for more than a year. I am planning on continuing my career at Metropolitan State University. This is a long term goal which should take me between 2 and 3 years to accomplish, depending on how many classes I am capable of doing every semester, while working and racing at the same time. I am enjoying the path and definitely committed to the experience. My parents and friends have been supporting me through all this journey, as much as they can, as well as being incredibly open to the athlete lifestyle, which includes a lot of time abroad and a big economical efford.
Fortunately, kayaking is my piece of light. This sport has changed my life. In the past years, it has been opening huge doors for me such as getting to meet beautiful souls. Slalom has been giving my life a big turn, again. Right when I thought that I would have to leave kayaking on a side for sometime, I had one of the best years of my life. Since 2017, I belong to the Venezuelan National Team and the ICF Development Program which has giving the opportunity to race in many competitions in different countries. Last year, I have got invited to be part of the ICF Elite Development program, which means that during important competitions I will have couching, expenses covered and support from the ICF to continue my trainings, with the hope I can keep teaching new generations.
Life is good and everything happens for a reason. Since all of this happened, I began to understand that life is made by changes and we all are subject to changes. We need to be ready for them and make the most out of the situation. I wouldn't see life the way I do now if this wouldn't have happened to us. We are proud of the lives we have built and to be able to contribute financially to my college fund. My education is a long term commitment, and my family and I are really grateful for these opportunities.
Thank you for your time and for all of the support.
-Marianna Torres
Marianna hopes to complete her last semester at FRCC which will cost $2,360. If finances allow, Marianna would be interested in transferring to MSU Denver to complete another 60 credits.
We are working on setting up a long term fund for Marianna’s education. Raising $23,000 would put Marianna through the last semester at Front Range and 5 semesters at MSU, Marianna takes about 3 classes per semester, and between 2 or 3 semesters per year. Marianna and her family appreciate any amount you would be willing to give. We are also interested in accepting any pledges for the next few years.
Thank you so much for your consideration. I cannot wait to see what this amazing person accomplishes with our help.
Best,
Joslin Coggan
I am writing to ask for your help in raising money to make Marianna Torres’s dream of continuing her college education come true. Marianna is our friend from Venezuela whom most of you have met or paddled with at some point over the past four years. Thanks to the support of a few generous individuals, Marianna has been able to start her college career at Front Range Community College over the past semesters.
Marianna has been studying at Front Range for the past two years and is hoping to transfer to Denver Metropolitan State University and graduate with a degree in Industrial Design. In order to accomplish this goal, Marianna and her family are in need of financial assistance. I am asking you to consider contributing to Marianna’s college fund and make it possible for her to continue her education. Below is a letter written by Marianna telling her story and outlining her educational hopes.
I am Marianna Torres, a paddler from Venezuela. I moved to United States 3 years ago and I would love to tell some of my story.
My Family and I had the unfortunate experience of going through the hardest moment in history of my country. The economic situation of my country forced my family and me to move away, leaving everything behind. It was a 360 degree change. The day I stepped out of Venezuela, I had no plans longer than three months ahead. I started a totally new lifestyle where I was going to work full time and figure out what I should do in the next years. I was scared. My plans had suddenly disappeared. My family was not able to support me continuing my education anymore, and kayaking started to pass to the background which was a hard thing to accept.
Two years ago my stepmom was able to get a job offer here which helped us obtain a visa that would let us stay in Colorado. My mom and two of my siblings are under asylum in the US. They have been in Kissimmee, FL for three years, and they can not leave the country. We all had to start from scratch, from getting paid at a low rate, I had to work ten to twelve hours a day to just pay the bills. We all have to divide house expenses, insurance, and all the bills.
Every year our situation gets better, slowly and with hard work we have been able to find better paid jobs and place to leave in where we all fit. Since last year, my parents are able to contribute with tuition, which has reduced the amount I have been needing from external sources. This is a great accomplish for everybody on this project.
I feel really happy to announce that I am currently in my last semester at Front Range, I can not believe I will be transferring to MSU Denver on May. Through this path, I have had help from different families to continue my education. We were able to pay for the first two semesters as an International student thanks to the support of these families. After spring 2019, I qualified as an in-state student because we have been here for more than a year. I am planning on continuing my career at Metropolitan State University. This is a long term goal which should take me between 2 and 3 years to accomplish, depending on how many classes I am capable of doing every semester, while working and racing at the same time. I am enjoying the path and definitely committed to the experience. My parents and friends have been supporting me through all this journey, as much as they can, as well as being incredibly open to the athlete lifestyle, which includes a lot of time abroad and a big economical efford.
Fortunately, kayaking is my piece of light. This sport has changed my life. In the past years, it has been opening huge doors for me such as getting to meet beautiful souls. Slalom has been giving my life a big turn, again. Right when I thought that I would have to leave kayaking on a side for sometime, I had one of the best years of my life. Since 2017, I belong to the Venezuelan National Team and the ICF Development Program which has giving the opportunity to race in many competitions in different countries. Last year, I have got invited to be part of the ICF Elite Development program, which means that during important competitions I will have couching, expenses covered and support from the ICF to continue my trainings, with the hope I can keep teaching new generations.
Life is good and everything happens for a reason. Since all of this happened, I began to understand that life is made by changes and we all are subject to changes. We need to be ready for them and make the most out of the situation. I wouldn't see life the way I do now if this wouldn't have happened to us. We are proud of the lives we have built and to be able to contribute financially to my college fund. My education is a long term commitment, and my family and I are really grateful for these opportunities.
Thank you for your time and for all of the support.
-Marianna Torres
Marianna hopes to complete her last semester at FRCC which will cost $2,360. If finances allow, Marianna would be interested in transferring to MSU Denver to complete another 60 credits.
We are working on setting up a long term fund for Marianna’s education. Raising $23,000 would put Marianna through the last semester at Front Range and 5 semesters at MSU, Marianna takes about 3 classes per semester, and between 2 or 3 semesters per year. Marianna and her family appreciate any amount you would be willing to give. We are also interested in accepting any pledges for the next few years.
Thank you so much for your consideration. I cannot wait to see what this amazing person accomplishes with our help.
Best,
Joslin Coggan
Organizer
Marianna Torres
Organizer
Aurora, CO