A dream to go to Spelman College!

                My name is Jamaya Walker daughter of Michelle Jacobs. On April 1, 2015 I was accepted into Spelman College located in Atlanta Georgia. Spelman College is very prestigious four-year liberal arts women’s college with an acceptance rate of less than 50 percent.

A little about me: I am a senior at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, California, where I am a part of the first graduating class. I am the Co-Founder of many clubs at my school including: Black Student Union, Psychology Club, and The Gender Issues Club. I am also a part of our school’s Sangre Latina Club (Latin Blood) where I am the first and only African America student in our school to join in the predominately Latino Club. I have been captain of my school’s volleyball team for throughout high school and also a member of our cheerleading team. Outside of school I am well known poet. I am a part of a local group named R.A.W Talent (Richmond Artist with Talent). We are a group of young people who dedicate our life to changing the world with our voice. I have competed in the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam for the last five years and this year I was able to become a finalist and compete with people from all over Northern California. On March 21, 2015 I was finally offered a spot on the Bay Area poetry team due to my performance on the final stage. I have also appeared in numerous articles and events including Richmond Continental, a three page spread in Brink Magazine, 106.1 KMEL Street Soldiers and many more. I come from a single mother household and I will be the first young lady in my family to graduate from high school and go on to obtain a college degree.

I am writing to you to ask you to support me in my dreams of attending one of the best and well-respected Historically Black Colleges in the country. Growing up my dream has always been to attend Spelman College. I have always desired the chance to be surrounded by educated, sophisticated, creative and strong black women. Spelman to me is more than just a college it is a place where I will be able to learn and understand my purpose in society as a young African American woman. Spelman is a college where brilliant black women blossom, violet lilies blooming from the garden of never ending knowledge and I would like the chance to join their garden of knowledge. The cost to attend Spelman College is 45,000 dollars a year. With the help of my high school which gives each student that graduates 10,000 dollars a year and the financial aid I was given by Spelman I would have to pay 10,000 dollars per year out of pocket just to attend. To most students that would be the deal breaker and that would discourage them from their childhood dreams but I refuse to walk away from a dream that means so much to me. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure I am enrolled at Spelman College fall of 2015 but I need my communities help.

I have created this Gofundme account to allow people to donate to help me achieve my goal of 10,000 to help pay for my first year of attendance at college. It would really mean a lot to me if you would help me with my goal by donating, spreading the word and or helping me brainstorm other ideas to help raise money. An obstacle was placed between me and my dreams but I am determined to overcome it.

Upon graduation from high school, I hope to attend Spelman College, and major in English with a minor in Creative Writing. My dream is to graduate from college and devote my life to helping young girls who are considered daddyless daughter and or who lost their fathers to the criminal system, gun violence, or any other devastating circumstances. I want to help them heal their damaged wounds and help to break the cycle of allowing that pain to affect them in their future. Growing up a daddyless daughter is not easy we often go out looking for a father figure without realizing it and often end up in controlling and abusive relationships and or become mothers at a young age. I was able to break the pattern in my family with the help of poetry and I believe it is my job to help young girls do the same thing. Aside from that I plan on writing a book tilted The Unspoken Words of a Hustler’s Daughter dedicated to my father who was murdered March 26, 2010.

Once again I am asking for your help to make my dreams come true in attending Spelman College this fall. It would really mean more to me than you will ever know.

 

Most Sincerely,

Jamaya Walker