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Greetings, lovely community...
My name is Tameka and I am reaching out, in humble request, for a rather big favor of support. I recently returned to Augsburg College full-time for my senior year, after a four-year hiatus. I’m completing some final graduation requirements and electives, to be finished by July 2017. I plan to continue on at St. Kate’s to complete my Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies, soon after. I would love to share my story with you to provide some context for creating this GoFundMe.
Growing up in poverty at Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis, with deeply loving parents – (who just happen to both be clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia/severe mental health challenges) was turbulent, yet strengthening, to say the least. My brother and I were fortunate to be surrounded by neighbors, friends, and family, who truly embodied the protective and caring village mentality. Despite forces that often felt bigger than our spirits could handle -- there was never a shortage of love, acceptance, and hope. It has NEVER been easy for me to ask, but help has always found a way through the darkness.
For the past few years, I have been diligently working to make two meaningful dreams come true.
Dream #1: To reunite my family by bringing my Dad home safely from Florida, after a three-year nightmare of criminalized homelessness due to severe mental health challenges.
My father requires compassionate and intentional professional support in order to maintain his mental health stability. We’ve had immense success caring and providing support for both of my parents here in the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, Florida couldn’t provide the same level of care.
Dream #2: To complete my B.A. in English Literature and Language Theory, that I left unfinished at Augsburg College due to a lack of financial resources in 2012.
During my Augsburg hiatus, I served at Origami downtown, was granted a position with the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), and grew in dance and community with Energy Dance Collective. Financially, NAZ allowed me to better support my family’s needs while slowly building towards my own future.
And then it happened.
My dreams came true.
Doors that seemed bolted shut
or the handles just out of reach
suddenly swung open.
At the exact. Same. Time.
Within the same week, my students started a brand new school year; I returned to Augsburg full-time; and thanks to lots (and LOTS) of incredible Colbert family support and coordination, my Dad arrived happily home in Minneapolis. He moved in with my boyfriend and me.
It felt like a miracle.
My schedule was grueling, but I was so thankful to have my Dad home. I acted as his case manager and tried to monitor his medications. I worked 40 hours a week and tried to maintain a full course load of classes.
After a month and a half, my Dad’s blood pressure, clarity, and stability was getting worse, despite having medication. He was then admitted to the hospital.
He’s doing so much better now and is very happy to be moving to supportive living soon. While I am doing a lot of work to support my father in getting settled, I am thankful to have the professional help I need to care for him (and my Mom) here in Twin Cities.
My focus is now more balanced since my Dad first returned. I want to graduate from Augsburg and start a new journey at St. Kate’s. I want to work every day to see the tenacity and joy of my students when they succeed at their goals.
My work with NAZ has truly revealed my life path and has inspired me to continue my education. It’s highlighted the serious systemic gaps our communities are facing. It has cemented the connection I feel between my own journey and the kids I’m lucky to work with. Our current educational paradigm is failing to shine the light on the true potential of our young people. I don’t know the ultimate solution, but I know we won’t fix it with the same thinking that created the problem. Albert Einstein and experience taught me that. I believe the solution will be found through intentional collaboration: culturally grounded, innovative, and holistically based. I am so eager to dive into this learning and work, but I must close my chapter with Augsburg first.
I can’t make these dreams into a sustainable reality without real help from my community. This is the excruciating part for me: I need your help...
My current tuition bill is $1,068 a month - which I am currently paying out of pocket! I am still supporting my family’s needs, as well. Even with a very conservative budget, this is not financially (or emotionally) sustainable for me. I am not eligible for loans due to my current student loan debt. I have thoroughly exhausted all of my resources (grants/scholarships) to receive additional financial support. Any donation given to this GoFundMe will be used towards my monthly Augsburg tuition payments through July 2017.
Although I am seeking your support, I believe it’s important for me to take financial ownership of what I want to manifest in my life. I am investing in my dreams through all I have to give: time, energy, money, and my love for learning in the service of others. Therefore, my GoFundMe goal of $5,000 will only cover half of my educational expenses at Augsburg. I will invest the rest.
Thank you for reading this far! Please, please share this with others if you feel so inclined!
I am so grateful that I have made it 29 years, nurtured by the beating heart of Minneapolis. Your support will open new doors for me and set me on a new path once more. My heart lies in advocating for young people and working with them, to remove barriers to learning and self-actualization -- launching them in the direction of their dreams. Please consider being a catalyst of mine.
Many thanks and lots of love,
Tameka
My name is Tameka and I am reaching out, in humble request, for a rather big favor of support. I recently returned to Augsburg College full-time for my senior year, after a four-year hiatus. I’m completing some final graduation requirements and electives, to be finished by July 2017. I plan to continue on at St. Kate’s to complete my Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies, soon after. I would love to share my story with you to provide some context for creating this GoFundMe.
Growing up in poverty at Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis, with deeply loving parents – (who just happen to both be clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia/severe mental health challenges) was turbulent, yet strengthening, to say the least. My brother and I were fortunate to be surrounded by neighbors, friends, and family, who truly embodied the protective and caring village mentality. Despite forces that often felt bigger than our spirits could handle -- there was never a shortage of love, acceptance, and hope. It has NEVER been easy for me to ask, but help has always found a way through the darkness.
For the past few years, I have been diligently working to make two meaningful dreams come true.
Dream #1: To reunite my family by bringing my Dad home safely from Florida, after a three-year nightmare of criminalized homelessness due to severe mental health challenges.
My father requires compassionate and intentional professional support in order to maintain his mental health stability. We’ve had immense success caring and providing support for both of my parents here in the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, Florida couldn’t provide the same level of care.
Dream #2: To complete my B.A. in English Literature and Language Theory, that I left unfinished at Augsburg College due to a lack of financial resources in 2012.
During my Augsburg hiatus, I served at Origami downtown, was granted a position with the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), and grew in dance and community with Energy Dance Collective. Financially, NAZ allowed me to better support my family’s needs while slowly building towards my own future.
And then it happened.
My dreams came true.
Doors that seemed bolted shut
or the handles just out of reach
suddenly swung open.
At the exact. Same. Time.
Within the same week, my students started a brand new school year; I returned to Augsburg full-time; and thanks to lots (and LOTS) of incredible Colbert family support and coordination, my Dad arrived happily home in Minneapolis. He moved in with my boyfriend and me.
It felt like a miracle.
My schedule was grueling, but I was so thankful to have my Dad home. I acted as his case manager and tried to monitor his medications. I worked 40 hours a week and tried to maintain a full course load of classes.
After a month and a half, my Dad’s blood pressure, clarity, and stability was getting worse, despite having medication. He was then admitted to the hospital.
He’s doing so much better now and is very happy to be moving to supportive living soon. While I am doing a lot of work to support my father in getting settled, I am thankful to have the professional help I need to care for him (and my Mom) here in Twin Cities.
My focus is now more balanced since my Dad first returned. I want to graduate from Augsburg and start a new journey at St. Kate’s. I want to work every day to see the tenacity and joy of my students when they succeed at their goals.
My work with NAZ has truly revealed my life path and has inspired me to continue my education. It’s highlighted the serious systemic gaps our communities are facing. It has cemented the connection I feel between my own journey and the kids I’m lucky to work with. Our current educational paradigm is failing to shine the light on the true potential of our young people. I don’t know the ultimate solution, but I know we won’t fix it with the same thinking that created the problem. Albert Einstein and experience taught me that. I believe the solution will be found through intentional collaboration: culturally grounded, innovative, and holistically based. I am so eager to dive into this learning and work, but I must close my chapter with Augsburg first.
I can’t make these dreams into a sustainable reality without real help from my community. This is the excruciating part for me: I need your help...
My current tuition bill is $1,068 a month - which I am currently paying out of pocket! I am still supporting my family’s needs, as well. Even with a very conservative budget, this is not financially (or emotionally) sustainable for me. I am not eligible for loans due to my current student loan debt. I have thoroughly exhausted all of my resources (grants/scholarships) to receive additional financial support. Any donation given to this GoFundMe will be used towards my monthly Augsburg tuition payments through July 2017.
Although I am seeking your support, I believe it’s important for me to take financial ownership of what I want to manifest in my life. I am investing in my dreams through all I have to give: time, energy, money, and my love for learning in the service of others. Therefore, my GoFundMe goal of $5,000 will only cover half of my educational expenses at Augsburg. I will invest the rest.
Thank you for reading this far! Please, please share this with others if you feel so inclined!
I am so grateful that I have made it 29 years, nurtured by the beating heart of Minneapolis. Your support will open new doors for me and set me on a new path once more. My heart lies in advocating for young people and working with them, to remove barriers to learning and self-actualization -- launching them in the direction of their dreams. Please consider being a catalyst of mine.
Many thanks and lots of love,
Tameka