- J
- T
Hello Everyone!
After a protracted internal debate, I’ve decided, at the suggestion of many friends, to start a GoFundMe account. This was a difficult decision, as much of this information is personal, and I wasn’t sure I felt completely comfortable going public. However, I decided it was for the best and worth the risk of exposure, especially given the bright future that lies so close before me. Before anyone reads further, if we’ve had private conversations about funding, please disregard this post, and thank you for the overwhelmingly positive responses; your incredible generosity has kept me afloat during a most difficult time! As most of you know, I am a nontraditional student who recently graduated from Bucknell University through the Bucknell Community College Scholars Program in late July, 2016, on full scholarship inspired by the Jack Kent Cook Foundation . In the short 1.5 semesters spent at Bucknell, I took full advantage of all opportunities afforded to me by studying abroad, publishing research and poetry, winning departmental awards, joining a fraternity, and graduating with high honors.
In the last seven months, I have been splitting my time between applying for scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, and graduate schools in an intense effort to fund my Master of Social Work, with a concentration on clinical therapy, human services, and program development, with the ultimate goal of eventually owning my own practice. I am proud to report that all the blood, sweat, tears, and seven-day-per week efforts have paid off. I’m honored to receive a half scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, and a rare assistantship to the University of Michigan, the #1 ranked MSW program in the United States. Additionally, I have been granted acceptance to the Michigan Branch of the Telluride House , a unique community of scholars from varying backgrounds with past notable winners such as World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, philosophers Michel Foucault and Francis Fukuyama, and several Nobel Prize winners like Linus Pauling. Put differently, someone might need to pinch me so I can convince myself this is real!
I’m still processing this incredible, surreal news, especially given my turbulent history. Having overcome various forms of violence due to my sexuality, homelessness, domestic abuse, and forced into dropping out of high school, I was able to become my Community College Valedictorian and a Junior Ivy League graduate, who has now boldly reached for and been embraced by the Ivy-Leagues. Through all this, I realize that transcendence comes in stages. My history might be steeped in chaos, but my past sparked a metamorphosis which left a trail of hope and promise in its wake. My desire to become a therapist, administrator, and advocate for dispossessed groups like homeless youth in the LGBTQ+ community is rooted in the belief that fulfillment comes from shared humanity. Integral to my career goals is the philosophy of compathy, of suspending your own beliefs in an effort to consider and understand the weight of another’s viewpoint, for better and for worse, without judgment, while simultaneously identifying how systemic injustices encroach on peoples’ lives. I hope to begin this sort of work immediately at UMich, in various capacities, such as LGBTQ+ homeless shelters, and for traditional / non-traditional students through case management and clinical services. It’s an incredible honor to do this sort of meaningful work, to give back to communities that need it the most, and to one day start my own practice or non-profit company.
This brings me to the reason I am reaching out to each of you through this letter. With moving expenses, gas, textbooks, furniture, food, winter clothing (it’s remarkably cold in Michigan), toiletries, repairs on a failing automobile, and other miscellaneous expenses, I find myself hard pressed to come up with short-term funding. The last few years have been consumed by a combination of deaths, family crises, health scares, and academics, and I haven’t had the opportunity to save money. Unfortunately, I find myself in a position where I am asking for funding towards the move to Michigan. I am humbled to be considered for any assistance people would be capable of rendering. I am hopeful that my unique perspective and unyielding dedication to social justice principles will add value to any investment you or other potential donors might be capable of making for my cause and for all the people I plan on helping in the future.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s any additional information or questions you might have for me.
With profound gratitude,
Vincent John Ancona
MSW Candidate, Class of 2019
U of Michigan, School of Social Work
After a protracted internal debate, I’ve decided, at the suggestion of many friends, to start a GoFundMe account. This was a difficult decision, as much of this information is personal, and I wasn’t sure I felt completely comfortable going public. However, I decided it was for the best and worth the risk of exposure, especially given the bright future that lies so close before me. Before anyone reads further, if we’ve had private conversations about funding, please disregard this post, and thank you for the overwhelmingly positive responses; your incredible generosity has kept me afloat during a most difficult time! As most of you know, I am a nontraditional student who recently graduated from Bucknell University through the Bucknell Community College Scholars Program in late July, 2016, on full scholarship inspired by the Jack Kent Cook Foundation . In the short 1.5 semesters spent at Bucknell, I took full advantage of all opportunities afforded to me by studying abroad, publishing research and poetry, winning departmental awards, joining a fraternity, and graduating with high honors.
In the last seven months, I have been splitting my time between applying for scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, and graduate schools in an intense effort to fund my Master of Social Work, with a concentration on clinical therapy, human services, and program development, with the ultimate goal of eventually owning my own practice. I am proud to report that all the blood, sweat, tears, and seven-day-per week efforts have paid off. I’m honored to receive a half scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, and a rare assistantship to the University of Michigan, the #1 ranked MSW program in the United States. Additionally, I have been granted acceptance to the Michigan Branch of the Telluride House , a unique community of scholars from varying backgrounds with past notable winners such as World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, philosophers Michel Foucault and Francis Fukuyama, and several Nobel Prize winners like Linus Pauling. Put differently, someone might need to pinch me so I can convince myself this is real!
I’m still processing this incredible, surreal news, especially given my turbulent history. Having overcome various forms of violence due to my sexuality, homelessness, domestic abuse, and forced into dropping out of high school, I was able to become my Community College Valedictorian and a Junior Ivy League graduate, who has now boldly reached for and been embraced by the Ivy-Leagues. Through all this, I realize that transcendence comes in stages. My history might be steeped in chaos, but my past sparked a metamorphosis which left a trail of hope and promise in its wake. My desire to become a therapist, administrator, and advocate for dispossessed groups like homeless youth in the LGBTQ+ community is rooted in the belief that fulfillment comes from shared humanity. Integral to my career goals is the philosophy of compathy, of suspending your own beliefs in an effort to consider and understand the weight of another’s viewpoint, for better and for worse, without judgment, while simultaneously identifying how systemic injustices encroach on peoples’ lives. I hope to begin this sort of work immediately at UMich, in various capacities, such as LGBTQ+ homeless shelters, and for traditional / non-traditional students through case management and clinical services. It’s an incredible honor to do this sort of meaningful work, to give back to communities that need it the most, and to one day start my own practice or non-profit company.
This brings me to the reason I am reaching out to each of you through this letter. With moving expenses, gas, textbooks, furniture, food, winter clothing (it’s remarkably cold in Michigan), toiletries, repairs on a failing automobile, and other miscellaneous expenses, I find myself hard pressed to come up with short-term funding. The last few years have been consumed by a combination of deaths, family crises, health scares, and academics, and I haven’t had the opportunity to save money. Unfortunately, I find myself in a position where I am asking for funding towards the move to Michigan. I am humbled to be considered for any assistance people would be capable of rendering. I am hopeful that my unique perspective and unyielding dedication to social justice principles will add value to any investment you or other potential donors might be capable of making for my cause and for all the people I plan on helping in the future.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s any additional information or questions you might have for me.
With profound gratitude,
Vincent John Ancona
MSW Candidate, Class of 2019
U of Michigan, School of Social Work