Help Jessica Go Back To School

In 2016, I wrote “Deadline to Withdraw” . When I withdrew from classes at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work, I went to the Bursar’s Office, and asked a staff member what I might owe if I were to withdraw at that moment in the Spring semester. The staff member advised me that I would not have any financial responsibility if I withdrew, and so, depressed and in crisis mode, I asked no further questions and unenrolled. It turned out that I would owe almost $5000 to the school, due to dropping out.


With my love for DJing as a sole inspiration, I received significant local recognition for my talent; used my platform to teach DJing to Baltimore youth & create performance opportunities for them at the Baltimore Museum of Art and Artscape; and made gradual progress in my overall mental health journey. Like many of us, however, at no point was I able to save much money. I am currently employed, but with the loss of a year’s worth of DJ income due to the pandemic (which totaled to almost half of my overall income), I’ve still been unable to put a dent in my debt. 


After quite a journey, I am in a position to return to school, but I cannot even complete my reapplication process due to the outstanding debt on my account. On top that, I am required to restart the MSW program from 0 credits due to policy, because it has been more than five years since I was enrolled. In spite of all of the above, I am still motivated & absolutely determined to become a Social Worker. I am currently thriving in my case management work at a Baltimore City Public School, and wish to become a Community School Director one day. I have solid community support in place, and I am prepared to overcome the emotional and academic obstacles to finally becoming a social worker. However, this financial obstacle is not one that I can do on my own. 


If my DJ sets have ever given you life, if my story has impacted you, or if you simply have the resources to spare & want to see me win, please consider contributing to my campaign to realize my goal of restarting school in Fall 2021, becoming a licensed social worker, and continuing to make an impact with creativity, optimism, and a commitment to social justice.