Hello, my name is Njideka Ekwuru, I'm a 19-year-old incoming second year student studying Biochemistry at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). I am creating this GoFundMe because my tuition is currently unattainable for me to cover on my own.

On August 5th, 2026, I received a call from the Housing and Dining Office informing me that my balance was overdue. This would be my fifth reminder as the new Fall quarter was approaching, and I am $8,753.38 short with no way to pay it off. I am now faced with the reality of dropping out of UCSD.

Throughout my first academic year attending UC San Diego, I have been faced with many financial interruptions. I came into the school year with the impression that I would receive a CalGrant, but after a complication with my forms, the grant was never received to UCSD. My financial plan coming into UCSD was dependant on my grant being received, and upon its absence in my financial aid package, I didn’t have any alternative prepared to face this change in plans. I have experienced my course schedule being cleared by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office as a result of my inability to pay for my registration and tuition fees on time, and I'm often left to quickly rebuild my schedule on my own.

Financial course drops threaten my wellness as a student and force me to risk meeting my academic goals, and full-time enrollment standing for financial aid. Despite this stressful cycle, support from my father, my academic counselor, and God's grace has allowed me to return for another quarter at UCSD.

My father currently works as a psychiatric mental health specialist and is the main provider and legal guardian for me and my two younger siblings. My mother passed away due to a breast cancer metastasis to her brain in 2016. Ever since my mother’s death, my siblings and I were deprived of the blessing of having two parents to support us in garnering our sense of self while navigating our lives and carrying ourselves in the academic space. Through the bereavement of my mother, a long lasting gap in my family's total income and savings was created as a result of my father working to cover medical bills and supporting me and my siblings. Furthermore in the coming years with COVID-19 and my father’s immigration issues, eventually leading to his detention in April 2019, my father was unable to properly prepare with the necessary funds that were required of me and my likelihood of going to college, my dad coming home was our top priority. It was through fundraising and the help of prayers, his co-workers, and family that my father was eventually released from detention (as of August 2019) and has since become a US citizen.

Despite the losses and challenges within my family, we’ve kept going. I graduated at the top of my class in high school, received my acceptance into UC San Diego, and now I have concluded my first summer research program as an undergraduate. I feel like I’ve just started to reestablish myself here at UC San Diego, and it hurts me to know that I might lose this privilege of attending this amazing institution.

My father helped me with my tuition. attempting to cover the bulk for the year(approx. $28,000), but we've ultimately fallen short of 8,753.38. My father has been spread thin through supporting my siblings at home, my grandparents in Nigeria, and his bills. Knowing that he was struggling to pay for my tuition amongst all his financial commitments, I began working on campus so that I could chip in and assist. As a Ticketing and Operations Assistant and a Peer Navigator, I worked for an average of 10 hours a week. I was unable to work more during the week because I began to see my grades slipping. Given that I needed to hold up a good GPA, I had to give up some hours.

This is why I am setting my goal to $100,000 so that I can move forward in my academic journey as an undergraduate and save up for medical school. By receiving these donations, I do not intend to stop working or trying to find other ways to pay for my education. I will continue to work and learn how to manage my time so that I can balance my classes and work schedule successfully.

My financial aid for the year was a subsidized loan at $5,538, which left me and my father to figure out how I would cover my payment for my first year of college and considering the years following my career pathway in anesthesiology. While I am grateful for the financial aid I have received, it isn’t something that I can depend on moving forward.

I have been dreaming of becoming a doctor ever since I was in kindergarten. My end goal going through school has always looked like getting matched on Match Day. I want to help the people in the community who are not heard enough, but I am currently not equipped with the technical, professional, and academic skills necessary to carry into medical school. I'm looking to become a pediatric anesthesiologist in the next nine years and the fact that I haven't even made it through my first year because of my family's inability to pay is honestly very exasperating.

I chose UCSD because before this year, I’ve never faced any challenge. I wanted to become more for my career and UCSD promises is to inspire students like me to apply their passions and dreams into skills and connections that grow and last in whatever profession they become a part of. I never wanted college to only be about earning a degree, and UCSD has given me the opportunity to explore my interests . It's about creating a different future for myself, as an aspiring pediatric anesthesiologist, and showing myself that I can achieve more than what my parents have done. I want to become someone that can give back to my community through my work in the operating room, and I hope to be a voice of comfort to my patients in their moments of need. The fact that I am about to face dropping out due to my inability to pay is so frustrating to me and it has made me desperate to hold on to my attendance in UCSD.

I didn't want asking for help to be my first option, and initially it wasn’t something that crossed my mind; but with my tuition deadline approaching in September, I've realized that I may not be able to do this completely on my own. Every donation will go toward my current tuition balance of $8,753.40 along with aiding my tuition moving forward in my educational journey. No amount is too small, and it’s not taken for granted. I'm very determined to continue my education, graduate, and build a successful future for myself and my family. I'm working for it, but I need your help getting through this financial hurdle.

Thank you for taking the time to read my message, donate, share, or simply support me. I genuinely appreciate every person who helps me get one step closer to staying in school. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions before donating at my phone number: [phone redacted]