Hello everyone,

I'm KK and I appreciate you taking the time to read my GoFundMe! I’m a Black American woman living in Philadelphia with my two cats. I work in events production for a prominent arts institution here in the city of my birth. Recently, my employee union has gone on strike against the unfair labor practices of our institution.

In addition to the strike, I am in a situation where I will need to move due to overall neglect from my landlord. With the rising costs of living in my neighborhood and city, I will likely have to move into a similar, but severely overpriced, apartment. While many of us in the union truly love our jobs and our colleagues, this strike and impending urgent move have brought many things into sharper focus for me.

The main issue that’s arisen for me is my lack of stability and fulfillment in my work and life overall. I want to expand my skill set to do more and better in my field, as well as become a more dynamic person. As my city changes at an alarming rate and the cost of living increases, I recognize my need to adapt. This brings me to the purpose of this fundraiser.

This fundraiser is to help me achieve my goal of completing an intensive language immersion program at Ewha Women's University in Seoul. I already have conditional acceptance to the program. The conditions I must meet are both financial and administrative. While it is possible to start on a tourist visa, in order to complete the program I need a D-4 visa which is required for 6 months or more of study. For this, the Korean government requires proof of available funds, as I would not be able to work during that time. The cost of the visa is $60 dollars, but I have to have and verify at least $10,000 in savings. Tuition and textbooks for my program are estimated to cost $2700, while housing is expected to cost $6400. The rest of the expenses are as listed below.

After 6 months of successful study, I will be able to apply for a work visa. I would absolutely love to be able to build and utilize my language skills before returning to the US.

The money raised would be used for the following over 6 months / 2 semesters:

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this.