Paying Off Student Bills

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$2,565 raised of $1.8K

Paying Off Student Bills

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I have literally tried everything to avoid this, but unfortunately, this is my last resort, so in case you're wondering what this GoFundMe page is about, I'll give you some background:

My name is Carolina Montes. I am a linguistics major a month shy from graduating college, earning my BA . The past four years have taught me so much about my personal goals, my strengths, and myself. During my time at university, I revived a long-forgotten performance group which is now a vital part of the community, played clarinet/saxophone/percussion for the school band, served on the leadership board of my dorm, and traveled to Japan last summer for a 6 week teaching internship for a Japanese company.  I have made the dean's list every year, and I am currently on track to graduate with honors. I am so grateful to have been given these opportunities to shine and improve myself. More importantly, as a first-generation student, and one of the first in my family to graduate college, it means so much to me that I graduate. Earning my degree will not only be the culmination of my academic and personal achievements, but also open up opportunities for myself in the future, as I intend to enroll in graduate school for education policy within the next few years.

Despite my satisfactory outlook on my college experience, the financial side of this has not always been the brightest. The university administration has a history of terrible communication with their students regarding their financial aid packages, with many not being notified of their costs until this past winter. This unorganized oversight has affected many in the university community, especially those who are first-generation or low-income students who rely on efficient communication to plan financially for our education. While I had thought that I had paid off all of my expenses, this week I was hit with an $1800 bill for my tuition out of the blue. I went to the financial aid office to see if this was a mistake, and it wasn't. The student loans I had taken out were not enough to cover the rest of what I owed. However, upon inquiring on increasing my loan amount, the university rejected my request due to their claim that the cost of attendance would already be met with the loans I had already taken out; this contradicts the bill itself. I appealed my financial aid package to see if I would be eligible for an increase in grant money, and I was also rejected.  My student account has been placed on hold, and the timing for this financial situation is very inconvenient. The university has given me until May 25th to pay this bill, or they reserve the right to withhold my diploma and bar me from attending my graduation ceremony. It is clear that the university cares more about draining money out of their students for their own financial gains. Though I have money of my own, I certainly do not have $1800 on myself right now to pay the balance in full, as the university requests. Since my parents are also in a financial predicament of their own, I do not want to burden them even more with this situation. $1800 is a lot of money for us, but the university believes it is nothing but a drop in the bucket that we can easily pay off.  I have run out of options, so I have decided to open this GoFundMe page. Any amount of money donated will be greatly appreciated from the bottom of my heart. Spreading the word will also mean so much to me. This bill is the last obstacle that I need to overcome in order to graduate and receive my diploma. I hope that you will  be able to help me with this last minute situation.

I appreciate you reading through this page. As a thank you to those who donate, I will write your name on the reverse side of the graduation stole I will be wearing during commencement. Without your support, this special day will not have been possible. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a good day,  wherever you may be in the world <3

Organizer

Carolina Montes
Organizer
Chicago, IL

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