Hi everyone, my name is Malcolm Herrera. I'm from El Salvador, my birthday is the 11th of November, 1994, and I'm 31 years old. I'm currently studying at Collège LaSalle in Montréal. I come from a middle-class family in the small but charming city of Santa Tecla. Ever since I was a teenager, I wanted to study abroad and get to know other countries and cultures. I was always fascinated by languages, technology, and other people and the way they think. When I graduated from high school, my goals at the time were those of making money and potentially leaving the country, but I ended up studying and working.

Years went by. I got my degree in Psychology in El Salvador. It took me a long time since I was studying and working at the same time, but, eventually, I obtained a job in Human Resources, which was the peak of my career.

During those years, I couldn't help but feel that I was meant for something bigger, to go and pursue education somewhere else. Since I was 11 years old, I wanted to do it; I wanted to live in another country. El Salvador was not the beautiful portrait it is today. Before the times of the current president, Nayib Bukele, and the Territorial Control Plan released in 2019, a reign of constant terror ruled the entire nation, as it was riddled with very dangerous terrorist organization members from MS-13 and the 18th Street Gang. For decades, these groups prevented anyone from thriving economically and ruined people's lives.

I had made my decision by 2023: I'm going to Quebec to pursue further education. I had already studied Quebec French and had a few conversations with people from Quebec. I had looked into their history. Armed with English, French, Spanish, and 10 years of work experience, I was ready. So, I contacted an agent that specialized in international studies. I had followed all processes and completed my paperwork. My final step was due: obtain a student loan to pursue my studies.

I was granted a big loan in order to complete my studies here in Canada. I successfully arrived here in 2024; the problems that came after were completely unprecedented for me.

At the time of moving, the change was brutal for my family. My beloved girlfriend, whom I had been dating for almost 7 years and who was happy about my goals, was absolutely devastated without me. Back in El Salvador, I lived only with my mother and my middle brother, and they were both devastated without me as well. The person that lit their day with happiness was gone, thousands of kilometers away, all in order to pursue a dream.

I was determined. I'm going to pursue my goals and reunite with my family soon. When I arrived at YUL, the Montreal Airport, for the first time on the 6th of January, 2024, I arrived wearing nothing but a shirt, jeans, a hoodie, and some Vans shoes. In my country, cold weather was not a thing, so unfortunately I wasn't able to find winter gear before coming to Canada.

I arrived at my student residence where no one welcomed me, at Avenue Lincoln in downtown Montréal. I would later discover it would be a giant mistake to live there, not only because no one from the student residence staff welcomed me, but because I had to go to another building because this one didn't have a reception. It was -9 degrees; I came from a tropical country, and I was freezing.

Eventually, I found the reception and I was welcomed by French and Tunisian roommates, whom I lived with for a short duration. I lived in three apartments in one year in that building, but my second day there, I was determined to find winter gear because I didn't have any.

I ordered an Uber from my apartment to the Walmart Supercenter that showed up on Google Maps. Turns out that Walmart, which maybe at some point was near Place Ville Marie, was no longer there. The Uber driver either didn't know this or didn't care enough and just dropped me there.

I gave a full lap to the block while only wearing a cotton hoodie and absolutely freezing. Eventually, I entered an RBC tower there and was able to protect myself from the cold. I asked for another Uber; this time, I was going to another shopping mall, but the driver, a very nice gentleman, suggested the mall at LaSalle. He claimed I could find everything I needed right there. Little did I know I was walking the entire time above a mall, let alone an entire underground city.

I went and got everything I needed. I had trouble finding a coat my size, but eventually, I found it. There it was, lying alone, a 4XL Jack & Jones jacket. It fit nice and loose, comfortable. I took it off and then hugged it. I remember I cried at that moment from the pure joy of finding something to protect myself from that harsh weather.

I got all the gear I needed and the basic food items, basic medicines, etc. I arrived at my apartment now feeling more secure and more prepared to start classes at Collège LaSalle on the 9th of January.

Everything was fine for a while during my first year because I had my student loan plus the savings, until I started noticing a big problem: I couldn't find a job, and I was starting to consume my money designated for my studies for rent and living expenses.

As of March 20th, 2026, the posting of this GoFundMe, I have sent over 950 job applications. I've had about 12–18 interviews, give or take, and have never worked in Montréal. I've had a work permit which has been completely pointless until today. First, I thought maybe it's my CV, which I eventually greatly improved. Then I improved my LinkedIn, but then I realized companies simply don't want students, which is demotivating, to say the least.

I've had two accidents since I came to Montréal. The first one was in December 2024; I fell when I stepped on ice, and my right knee hurts every time I climb stairs ever since.

I also fell on ice again in November 2025, but this time I broke my left ankle. I had to get medical attention at a hospital here in Montreal, then I went to my country since I had no one to take care of me.

Because they didn't provide me with anticoagulant medication at the hospital I was in in Montreal when I broke my ankle, blood clots formed, and in El Salvador, I suddenly couldn't breathe. I was taken in an ambulance to emergency, where they suspected I had some sort of embolism. It reached a point where I was going to be taken to the ICU at the General Hospital of El Salvador, but, very luckily for me, they managed to control the clots enough so that I could start breathing on my own without oxygen. I stayed hospitalized from the 26th of December, 2025, all the way to the 31st of December, 2025. All these medical expenses and problems I've had in Montréal have cost me a fortune and the student insurance I have barely covers anything. Everything is just “reimbursements.” How can they reimburse me if I don't have money in the first place?

Now I've reached rock bottom. I have, since 2024, relied on food banks to get my food because I knew buying groceries without a job would take me to bankruptcy fast. Before, I used to buy at supermarkets whatever grocery I was not given at the food bank, like eggs, milk, oil, or meat to have more complete food options to eat. Now I can't even do that. I am used to not carrying a single penny and not being able to afford or buy anything. I am used to feeling hopeless and worthless, and I'm used to feeling depressed. My depression and mental health have deteriorated to the point it may be permanent and I may never be able to fix myself. Since I can't choose what to eat and I have to eat whatever the food banks give me, I haven't been able to lose weight, so not only has my mental health taken a hit, but my physical health as well.

I have been mistreated by roommates many times. I have been discriminated against at places I've applied for jobs because of my physical appearance. I have been robbed three times since I came to Montreal. In October 2024 my phone was stolen. In January 2025 they broke into my Airbnb apartment, which I stayed in while looking for an apartment, and stole everything of value I had. And in summer 2025, my roommate sold some of my belongings while I went for a trip to El Salvador. I've never been robbed in El Salvador, but I was robbed here in Canada, a country where I thought I was safe.

To say that my journey in Montréal has been harsh is a severe understatement, but maybe you can help me turn the page so I can smile again. My girlfriend has told me, “I don't see you smile anymore.” When someone has endured all the psychological pain that I've endured constantly for years, it changes you. But maybe I can look forward. With your help, I could finish my studies. I have a semester overdue, which is the one I'm in, currently $9,026, and two more semesters after that one costing the same. But for now, the most urgent task is to pay this semester; otherwise, I may never be able to complete my studies. My dream and my goals will be shattered, and I will be forced to return to my country with crippling debt, depression, and physical illnesses.

Please help me turn my life around.

TL;DR

I am a 31-year-old international student from El Salvador, currently studying programming at Collège LaSalle in Montréal. Since arriving in 2024, I have faced a series of life-altering challenges: 950+ job rejections, three separate robberies, and a broken ankle that led to a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. These crises have exhausted my savings, and I now urgently need $9,026 to pay for my current semester. Without these funds, I will be forced to abandon my degree and return home with nothing but debt and deteriorating health. Please help me finish my studies and turn my life around.