Please help Me Finish My Master’s in Architecture at SCI-Arc

Hello, my name is Luis Enrique Moreno Morales. I’m an architecture student at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, about to begin my final year in the M.Arch 2 program. This place has changed me. It’s where I’ve discovered how deeply architecture can reflect who we are—and who we hope to become.

Right now, I’m writing with a mixture of fear and hope. I’m reaching out because, after working so hard to get here, I’m facing a financial crisis that could end my studies just before the finish line.

I'm originally from Santiago de Cali, Colombia. I come from a humble background and studied at a public university, Universidad del Valle, because it was what my family could afford without going into debt. When I was accepted into SCI-Arc, it was a leap of faith, a way to grow, to learn, and to carry my voice into the global conversation about architecture.

At SCI-Arc, I’ve found a space that embraces the experimental, the poetic, the radical. Here, I’ve been able to merge my passion, my artistic side, and my sensitivity into architecture that imagines a better world. This school has allowed me to ask big questions: What if architecture isn’t just about building, but about unbuilding? About dismantling the systems, forms, and ruins of the past so we can reimagine what comes next?

Until now, my studies were made possible through financial support from Colombian government programs for international students. But earlier this year, due to sudden political decisions, those funds were cut drastically. I lost nearly all my financial backing. I don’t have a U.S. cosigner or other sources of support, and I now need to raise $30,000 to cover my final year of tuition. It’s terrifying, but I’m not giving up. I feel the same spark of hope I felt when I applied to this school, and somehow set a fire in my heart that won’t be extinguished, because I believe in what I am doing, what could be done as architects. I want that vision to come to life, I dont want to walk away.

I’m asking for your help, because I can’t do this alone. Every donation, no matter how small, will go directly toward my tuition so I can finish this journey. If you can’t give, sharing this with others would mean the world.

I’m scared, but I’m also hopeful. And I’m determined to keep going.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for believing in possibility.

With all my heart,

Luis Enrique Moreno Morales

Architect (almost)