Assalamu Alaikum, there is a student at UT Austin who is in urgent need of support. Here is his story:

My parents divorced in February last year after years of financial hardship and abuse. We moved from New York to Houston to escape eviction, but my father’s medication worsened his health. My mother was working, but after a serious car accident requiring spine therapy, we couldn’t afford another car. My father, an Uber driver working nights, had to drive her early mornings, causing severe stress and constant conflict. Due to ongoing abuse, my mother divorced him. Afterward, my father attempted suicide, and I had to call the police. During this time, rent and utilities went unpaid, and I spent my high school graduation sleeping in the dark or at friends’ homes.

I earned a full academic scholarship as a 4.0 student from a low-income family, covering tuition and living expenses. After my father left the psych ward, I gave him my scholarship money so he could pay rent, but he lied about supporting me and took my student loan money as well. I later found out too late and was evicted from my apartment. Shortly after, he was also evicted. I lived with friends, then with my mother over the summer in Austin, while my father moved to Buffalo. I transferred to UT Austin trusting my father when he promised to cover expenses, but he continued delaying and failing to pay.

He also sold all of my mother’s jewelry, including items inherited from her late parents, while threatening us over money in Bangladesh. Now my mother lives paycheck to paycheck, my father lost his Uber car due to repossession, and neither can support me. I cannot attend school part-time without losing my full scholarship and being charged full tuition. I am actively searching for remote work, but my rent is due January 3rd, and I currently have no financial support. My education is at risk.