Send Fortuna to Nursing School

I am Fortuna. Why can't I show you my name or face? I escaped El Salvador after my father was murdered. Then they came after me. If they know where I am, I am afraid they might come for me. I left home alone when I was 16 years old. I walked, hitch-hiked, and rode on top of La Bestia, a freight train that runs to the US border.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MY MESSAGE

Here is a photo of me doing our actress Lily's hair for my video. I showed her how I hid money in my hair when people tried to steal from me. Lily took many details of my journey to the video like the clothes I wore, how I waved goodbye to my mother when I left home, how I would ask for rides or run from people I didn't trust.

When I arrived, I applied for asylum and legal residency and began to study English. I received my green card after 8 years in the immigration system. Currently, I work full-time as a server in a restaurant. My dream is to become a nurse so that I can provide for myself and my 4-year-old daughter. Next year, I will begin a 4-year nursing program and will apply for scholarships for tuition and books. But I need help with living expenses so that I can cut back on my work hours and use that time for my studies. Every month I pay:

Rent + Utilities-$950

Gas-$150

Phone bill-$60

Groceries-$800

Childcare-$450

If you could cover some or part of any of these expenses for me for one month, I would be forever grateful to you. Thank you if you can help me in any way, you are my angels.

With love,

Fortuna

Message from Anya Hinkle, singer and songwriter of "Fortuna":

In 2019, I was driving and heard Fortuna's story on our local NPR affiliate Blue Ridge Public Radio. At that time, she was appealing deportation orders even though she was likely to face extreme danger back in El Salvador. I used the alias "Fortuna" for the song because I felt there was something about her name that was tied to her destiny, but I wrote the song without knowing her fate. Four years later, I went into the studio to record it.

As fate would have it, I met the producer of the NPR radio story who introduced me real Fortuna. She helped co-direct her own video and even helped me make a Spanish language version of the song (listen/watch here). I find her to be a courageous and extremely bright young woman--I know she is capable of great things. She has worked so hard just for the chance to start from scratch in this country. It is my dream to help her become a trained nurse so she can give back to a world that gave her a very difficult path. Thank you for joining me!

Love,

Anya