Support Drea's Post-PhD Transition Journey

Hey ya'll, my name is Andrea (Drea) Darby and I recently finished my PhD! I started this fundraiser to raise funds for my moving and living expenses as I transition into this post-graduation phase of my life.

Completing my doctoral degree is a historic accomplishment for both me and my family as a first-generation college student from a low-income background. Despite the buildup and support I have had to earn my doctorate, I don't have a financial safety net to keep me stable post-graduation. This is in part due to the difficulty that comes with having lived on a graduate student stipend and the pandemic causing a serious strain on my ability to save funds.

I started my PhD in Entomology during the fall of Fall 2019 at Cornell University. While an exciting opportunity, I never imagined that I would do my training during a global pandemic, which had a direct impact on my family. The previous time I fundraised on this platform was to secure funds to help my parents after they were horribly afflicted by COVID in the earlier days of the pandemic. Despite my dad being forced to retire after his bout with the disease, he is alive and well in part thanks to people generously supporting that campaign. I am forever grateful to everyone who helped out my family at that time. With my father's forced retirement, my family is not in a situation to support me financially through my post-graduation transition while I secure long term employment. I also do not have the means to move back with them as I transition to my postdoc since they live in Las Vegas and I am based in Ithaca, NY.

It has been rewarding to meet incredible colleagues, train undergraduate researchers, and do genuinely cool science during my PhD. It would also mean so much to me if family, friends, and colleagues would consider donating to my Graduation Transition fund as a graduation gift to me. The amount chosen for this campaign would help me to afford moving fees, bills, and ultimately a peace of mind while I transition to my postdoc.

I would not be here without my village, so I cannot express my gratitude enough to my community. Thank you all for your support over these past few years, and I look forward to sharing this next chapter of my life with you all.