Support Me In Finishing My College Education

With only one semester left standing in between me and my goal of receiving my Bachelor's Degree in International Studies from Denison University, I write to ask for the support to help fund my last semester at Denison in order to be able to complete my college education and return to campus in the spring.

As far as I knew, I believed that my Denison career would be a straightforward path to graduation after coming from a successful high school career while being ready to tackle the next chapter of my life. As an adopted child of a single mother, we both knew the potential financial challenges, but at the time of accepting Denison, we were both reassured that we had the financial means to cover my Denison career. However, this was short lasting, as for the last two years, my mother has come across substantial financial hardship and can no longer support me financially, blindsiding me with the responsibility to pay for the rest of my education on my own. I have been asked by my school to come up with $13k in less than two weeks before classes start in order to return to campus.

The ideal goal is that the funds will be raised in time so I am able to register for classes by the start of the spring semester, but even if this goal is not reached, the funds will still go towards alleviating the financial burden of paying off the remaining $13k towards my tuition on my own, granting me the opportunity to finish my degree during the following fall semester with the possibility of transferring credits from Columbus State Community College if the ideal goal does not work out. As a 21 year old student without an undergraduate degree, my serving job back at home can only get me so far.

The financial circumstances got to the point where I had to leave Denison during my junior year (spring 2023) in order to work my serving job back at home and earn a semester’s worth of tuition in only a semester’s worth of time without any parental help in order to return back to campus for the fall 2023 semester. The details in a more Denison-related context are laid out in this statement , drafted by myself, and signed by fellow Denison students and alumni. At this moment, I am asking for support after coming to a finite number with financial aid and the Student Accounts Office in order to get me back to campus.

I have been on this journey alone, meeting with the financial aid office as well as Denison Administration offices such as the Student Registrar, the Student Life Office, and the Student Accounts Office, sharing my situation, meeting with staff members as well as my academic advisor, jumping through every loophole, attempting multiple alternative graduation paths, and strategizing with my professors in order to possibly get more assistance, and although some was given, it was still not enough; all was with limited success.

I cannot put into words the gratitude and thankfulness from the kind-hearted individuals who took the time to read my story. Your contributions will not disappoint. With your help, I am determined to finish my education, and show much gratitude towards each and everyone who supported me along the way. Thank you all so much for listening. If there are still questions, please feel free to contact me, and I am happy to discuss my situation further.

With much gratitude,

Addy Pittenger