(Updated 5/30/26)

After living abroad the past 2 years and now being back in New York for the past 5 months, I've been doing everything I can to rebuild stability BUT every job I've applied to has ended in rejection or silence. I've followed up, asked for feedback, pitched ideas, tried to reconnect with people and organizations, and rewritten my materials over and over. In the past 5 months, I've had only 3 interviews, and in the past 2.5 years, I have received NO job offers.

Note: I'm not only applying for dance-related work. I have experience across multiple areas: operations, design, writing, etc and I've spent more than 2 decades teaching, creating, mentoring, and building community. I've also tried to launch my own work, including my children’s book and other creative projects connected to my brand, moveDIPR >>> BUT >>> rebuilding takes resources, and I do not currently have the funds to make that happen on my own.

Right now, I have a room until next weekend. After that, I may have to make a painful choice between returning to the shelter system, sleeping on trains or the streets again, or staying in unstable short-term housing and moving from place to place because I cannot afford longer-term rentals.

And at the moment, I'm tutoring 3 days/9 hr per week, and instability makes it harder to keep showing up consistently. I'm trying to survive while still trying to care for the children and family who depend on me.

I want to be clear: this is not just about one bad season. This is about the reality that life is not fair for all of us, and I am naming that truth. I have no family safety net. Friends have fallen off. I have no backup plan. And as an able-bodied, childless, unmarried Black cisgender woman, there are very few resources available to me. The support systems that are supposed to catch people often do not exist for people like me.

I also want to say that I recently received good news about my health, including information about my MS remission. I'm deeply grateful for that but it is hard to fully receive good news when your housing and survival are uncertain and your reality could change in a matter of days.

I have also been an educator for 2 decades now: I inspire, I create, and I have impacted many people through my work. You can read my reviews and learn more about my background >>> https://linktr.ee/diprjoi

The funds raised here will go directly toward short-term housing and the basic needs that help me stay safe while I keep job searching and rebuilding.

This fundraiser is not about sympathy. It is about empathy, visibility, and survival. I am sharing this because I want to be seen, and because I do not want to give up on my life.

If you can donate, share this campaign, or pass my name or information along to someone who may be able to help, I would be beyond grateful.

~deeply