Help student finish grad school
Donation protected
My name is Carlos Melendez Moreno. I am in the Master of Science in Global Management program and I just finished my first year at Thunderbird. I’ve been having some issues in regards to paying for tuition and I’ve tried talking to several different people at ASU who haven’t really offered me any solutions.
I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. My country is in a severe economic crisis that affects both people living in the country and those of us abroad. The absolute control on foreign currencies tied to bad political planning has led to an extreme hyperinflation that has seriously hurt my personal finances.
When I applied for my F-1 visa, the U.S. Embassy estimated my expenses at the official exchange rate, which the Venezuelan government was supposed to sell me currency at because I picked a program that was in line with their “guidelines for the progress of the Bolivarian Revolution”. This exchange was BsF. 6.30 to $1. A couple of months into the program, the government wrote me that at this moment they would not be selling me dollars as reserves were low and my education wasn’t “essential to the Revolution.” After this happened, I had to turn to the black market which at the time was Bsf. 70 to $1. This really diminished my buying power and I had trouble keeping up with expenses, but after my parents made extraordinary sacrifices I was able to finish my first semester and a winterim program.
This year, things in Venezuela got worse. The drop in oil prices in conjunction with the lack of productivity in my country made the parallel dollar rise incredibly fast, and it is now BsF. 700 to $1. To get an idea, the monthly minimum wage in my country is BsF. 7,421.68, which is now worth only $10.60. My savings have all been watered down to nothing; I am now supposed to pay 100 times what was budgeted by the U.S. government.
This school and this opportunity mean everything to me. I came to this country getting away from all the violence and looking for a fresh start for my career.
I’ve been seeking solutions for months now before coming to GoFundMe. I found two people willing to cosign student loans for me and both were rejected by the bank. My parents put their apartment on the market to cover my tuition, but no sale has been closed yet. Most grants disappeared after the Thunderbird/ASU merger.
Fellow students and other friends have helped me a lot throughout the summer, and I’ve stretched out every penny I’ve been able to save.
I am part of the teach-out at Thunderbird, which means if I'm not enrolled by Friday, August 28th, I will lose everything I've worked for as I won't have a chance to graduate at a later date. Furthermore, I would lose F-1 status and be forced to go back to Venezuela, a country which in March was declared a threat to the national security of the United States
All I ask of you is to help me very humbly of you is thatplease help me continue my studies at Thunderbird School of Global Management. Any help will be extremely appreciated.
Thank you!
I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. My country is in a severe economic crisis that affects both people living in the country and those of us abroad. The absolute control on foreign currencies tied to bad political planning has led to an extreme hyperinflation that has seriously hurt my personal finances.
When I applied for my F-1 visa, the U.S. Embassy estimated my expenses at the official exchange rate, which the Venezuelan government was supposed to sell me currency at because I picked a program that was in line with their “guidelines for the progress of the Bolivarian Revolution”. This exchange was BsF. 6.30 to $1. A couple of months into the program, the government wrote me that at this moment they would not be selling me dollars as reserves were low and my education wasn’t “essential to the Revolution.” After this happened, I had to turn to the black market which at the time was Bsf. 70 to $1. This really diminished my buying power and I had trouble keeping up with expenses, but after my parents made extraordinary sacrifices I was able to finish my first semester and a winterim program.
This year, things in Venezuela got worse. The drop in oil prices in conjunction with the lack of productivity in my country made the parallel dollar rise incredibly fast, and it is now BsF. 700 to $1. To get an idea, the monthly minimum wage in my country is BsF. 7,421.68, which is now worth only $10.60. My savings have all been watered down to nothing; I am now supposed to pay 100 times what was budgeted by the U.S. government.
This school and this opportunity mean everything to me. I came to this country getting away from all the violence and looking for a fresh start for my career.
I’ve been seeking solutions for months now before coming to GoFundMe. I found two people willing to cosign student loans for me and both were rejected by the bank. My parents put their apartment on the market to cover my tuition, but no sale has been closed yet. Most grants disappeared after the Thunderbird/ASU merger.
Fellow students and other friends have helped me a lot throughout the summer, and I’ve stretched out every penny I’ve been able to save.
I am part of the teach-out at Thunderbird, which means if I'm not enrolled by Friday, August 28th, I will lose everything I've worked for as I won't have a chance to graduate at a later date. Furthermore, I would lose F-1 status and be forced to go back to Venezuela, a country which in March was declared a threat to the national security of the United States
All I ask of you is to help me very humbly of you is thatplease help me continue my studies at Thunderbird School of Global Management. Any help will be extremely appreciated.
Thank you!
Organizer
Carlos Melendez
Organizer
Glendale, AZ
