Help Enginneer facing Deportation Stay in School

My name is Mila Alexander. I am an engineer working in Turpin & Rattan Engineering, Inc. in Los Angeles. Before that, I was an international student of Sri Lankan background, born and raised in Kuwait. I have recently been forced to leave the U.S. and my job by the end of this summer due to a denial notice from the U.S. government. Consequently, I would become akin to a stateless person whose hard work to build a career as an engineer will be in vain. I am humbly asking for your financial support.

To help you understand my circumstances, I will tell you my story. I moved to the United States 10 years ago by myself at the age of 19 to go to college. My family immigrated from Sri Lanka to Kuwait in the early 90s following my father’s work. Although I was born in Kuwait and my family has lived there for decades, under Kuwaiti law, neither my parents nor I have citizenship there. Moreover, the higher education system in Kuwait is only reserved for Kuwaiti nationals. So, if I were to have continued my education in Kuwait, I would have only received a diploma and not a degree. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan laws considered Sri Lankans not raised in the country and who did attend high school there as international students.The thought of paying out-of -state tuition in what is supposed to be my own country, led me to look at better quality education elsewhere. After high school, I took a year off to find alternatives and discovered that it was possible for me to attend college in the U.S. I followed the legal process for international students and, in 2015, determined to work hard, I came to the U.S. to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering at Pasadena City College. In 2018, I successfully transferred to California State University, Northridge (CSUN). My father, who was healthy and able at the time, supported my education.

But everything changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. My father contracted covid and struggled with pneumonia for a very long time. He was unable to help anyone or himself. The situation in Kuwait was dire; the government had taken the opportunity to deport people, cut salaries, and suspend visas to visitors. My life—and my family’s—was in complete turmoil. I faced a cascading series of obstacles that felt impossible to overcome. Unable to pay rent, I became homeless for several months and slept at a local Denny’s restaurant. Around the same time, I was required to renew my U.S. student visa, which meant proving to the university that I had $20,000 in my bank account. After losing my father’s financial support, this was impossible—I had only $3 to my name. To make matters worse, I only had a semester left to graduate and my dream of graduating and starting a career came to a halt. I desperately began looking for help on campus reaching out to any and every lead I found. Through a lot of perseverance and back and forth, I got connected to the right people and resources. My hard work as a woman of color in a male dominant field while in extreme distress, was recognized and supported. Through loans, grants, and scholarships, I managed to successfully graduate and earn my undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering in 2022.

Within a month of graduation, I was sought out on LinkedIn and hired as an entry level engineering designer. After starting my job, even though I was living paycheck to paycheck, I took pride in taking care of all my needs, rent, and bills. I was on track to resolve my financial debt and financially support some of my family’s needs. In addition, because I now have health insurance through my employer, I have been able to pay for my medical illnesses. I have been struggling with fibromyalgia for over 15 years and was diagnosed with PCOS and discoid lupus early last year. Luckily, I have received medications that help me manage some of these conditions. I was also on track of getting my other health concerns properly attended to as well.

During this time, my company tried sponsoring me for a work visa twice. To get the work visa, once sponsored, the petition goes to the U.S. immigration department where they run a lottery. Both times, I was not selected for the work visa lottery, which has led to my current crisis. Since I was not selected in the lottery, my options were to enroll in a graduate program or to return to Sri Lanka.

I have never lived in Sri Lanka, my parents do not live there and I therefore do not have the means to afford a safe place to live. I also cannot go back to Kuwait because the country is still not reissuing visas after the pandemic. Moreover, once I leave the U.S., I would lose access to the medications I desperately need.

Therefore, the purpose of this Go-Fund-Me is to show CSUN I have the amount required of International Students to pay for one year of the graduate program in the Engineering Department, which is $38,000. This amount would include my tuition, book/supplies, housing/food, transportation and health insurance. The deadline for the graduation program application for fall enrollment is June 30th. If I wait for Spring 2026 enrollment, I would need to leave the country before my visa expires in July and seek a new student visa to attend school, which is challenging without safe housing in Sri Lanka and the ability to sustain myself economically until I reapply for a visa.

My goal is to raise $38,000 by June 30th so as to enroll in the graduate program and continue my medical treatments. If I am unable to raise the full $38,000 by the deadline, all funds will be used toward safe travel, relocation planning, and temporary living expenses in Sri Lanka, where I have no established support system. I understand that these are difficult times for many people, including other immigrants. My heart goes out to all in this struggle. I am nonetheless determined to keep working through these challenging times. I am asking for your help with any donation to help me navigate these difficult circumstances.