Hello. My name is Maria Lewis. I'm a doctoral candidate at Point Park University in my last year, researching the importance of early childhood environments in violence prevention and the development of early literacy skills.

I was employed full-time at my university with a grant-funded position that was eliminated, losing my tuition benefits with only 9 credits remaining in my dissertation work when planning to graduate in April 2025. This now eliminates my ability to apply for positions without the degree being achieved, graduate in April, and cover the costs of regalia and graduation.

I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout my master's and doctoral program and now need your help by donating to my GoFundMe.