Hi, my name is Renita Ramsey and  my son, Khalid Williams is studying to become a Lawyer at University of Tennessee Knoxville location and about 5 months ago we were talking on the telephone and he said to me that 14 students from his department would be chosen to go to London to study abroad and he said, “Momma, I would love to go but I know we can’t afford it”. I said to him, Baby do you really want to go,  and he said, YES, but I know you don’t have it Momma. I said to him well then sign up to go. He explained to me that it would cost about $9000.00 dollars total which would entail the cost of his airplane ticket, two college courses and About $1000.00 for food and travels while visiting other surrounding cities such as Paris, etc .   He said, Momma if chosen, a non-refundable $700.00 would have to be paid whether we go or not. I knew that I didn’t have the the money, but I know that I have an abundance amount of FAITH and God has not fail me yet plus, I know of no one who deserves to go more than my son.

I thank God everyday for my kids, especially my son, Khalid. I am a single mother of 3. Khalid age 20 and Maygen and Rayven, twins, ages 9.  Khalid is exceptional. I raised him alone with help from friends, family and the good Lord. It was'nt always easy, but with Khalid not giving me any problems that some mothers endure, made it easier. I couldn’t have been blessed with a better son. I worked two jobs for 13 years to give him a good life. I dropped him off with one of my dearest friends who had two sons the same age as Khalid on Friday evenings and I picked him up on Sunday evenings for 13 years.  When I had the girls and could no longer work 7 days a weeks, I thought Khalid was going through depression, because he started staying home on weekends sitting around me and the girls all the time. I later came to find out,  he was just glad to be in his own home with his own family on  the weekends. That is when I made a promise to God, that if he blessed me to take care of my kids with one job,  I would not work and leave my kids, especially my girls, with anyone on the weekends and I would return  to church where I was raised, but could not go because I worked every Sunday. 

Khalid is extraordinary. He is an African American male who graduated from High school in theTop 50 of his class with no problems and as an Honor student. I have been priviledged with not having to worry about him using drugs, being a part of a gang, legal problems  nor the thought of  him making extremely bad choices. Khalid went off to Middle Tennessee State University for two years but knew that he plans to pursue Law School, so to enhance his chance of getting into UT Knox’s Law Program, he left the school in which he had grown to love and friends who were like family to him. He is so brave, unlike me in so many good ways. Khalid struggles to help himself financially through the work study program plus the challenges of maintaining a 3.3 GPA. So, he has no time for outside employment. 

Khalid was blessed to be one of the 14 chosen to go and he is so excited about going, but with  the scholarships, loans and pellgrant we are still short $4500.00 for London and immediately once he returns, he will need to complete two more classes totalling $2200.00, because he will have exhausted all of his pell grant. He is currently a junior and he has enough pell grant and scholarship for one more full year. Khalid will leave for London on May 12, 2015 and immediately upon return will start summer school in July. We need your help, anything you can give, will truly be APPRECIATED.