Graduate Student (PhD) New Computer
Donation protected
Hello!
Welcome to my GoFundMe page. I have started this page for what I think is a small but necessary goal, compared to some of the amazing success stories that come out of this site. Let me tell you a bit about myself, my goal, and why I am seeking your support.
To start, my name is Tiffany Fillier and I am a 24 year-old university graduate student. I completed my undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science - B.Sc.) in Environmental Science (Honours) - Biology Stream in a timely four years after I graduated high school (undergrad = 2012-2016). After completing my B.Sc., I took on a position as a Masters student (M.Sc.) (2016-present). This M.Sc. was a huge learning curve for me, as it focused on a chemistry background, which was a great opportunity to expand on my background in biology.
My M.Sc. is focusing on neurolipid biochemistry, more specifically... how the brain's lipid composition changes when exposed to certain fatty acids (which can come from diet) and what this may mean in terms of neurological/neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, just to name a couple.
I have been steadily working on this M.Sc. over the last two years, which is a small aspect of a larger project, and regular meetings with an academic advisory committee are a common thing. This tidbit of information is important because after one of these meetings recently, my committee suggested that I stay on the project (as opposed to them finding a new student to pick up where I would leave off) and transfer my M.Sc. into a PhD. This was an incredible opportunity to say the least, I absolutely could not turn this down... As difficult and cumbersome as research and the research world can be, I love that I have the opportunity to, at least, try and make a difference and help people, considering the topic of my research, as was previously mentioned.
So, at this point you may be wondering why I started this GoFundMe for a new computer. Well... with all this intensive schooling comes a lot of computer based work because of the data analysis and statistics that are all just a part of research.
This is why I started this GoFundMe page, this is one aspect of my post-secondary career that I truly feel is holding me back from the potential I can reach. Currently, my personal computer is a 2012 MacBook Pro. So, it is going on 7 years of heavy post-secondary use, and unfortunately, with the insanely fast pace of technology, has been and still is becoming more and more outdated by the day. I can no longer update it, apps crash, the computer itself crashes... you get the idea so needless to say it absolutely cannot handle any of the expensive softwares I have at my disposal from my lab. I have taken great care of it and kept it clean of unnecessary junk files but it just cannot keep up with my level of schooling anymore. It is not conducive to completing research in a timely manner.
If you are questioning my personal background in terms of why I am seeking support... well I can touch on that too. My parents help me out when it comes to tuition, but that is all they can really help me out with. I am unable to get loans because my parents make just (and I mean just barely) enough money that I do not qualify. I live a 25 minute drive away from my school, and I cannot afford to rent an apartment in the city so I commute back and forth using my parents vehicle because I cannot afford a car either. I am receiving funding for my schooling, but like I said my parents help me with tuition because tuition is not covered by this funding. To be honest, the funding I receive is only enough to keep me going to in gas (driving back and forth) and some groceries, and maybe the occasional supper with friends. So, like I said, based on this information I cannot afford a car, or an apartment, or a new computer with how expensive technology is these days! As a student, it is incredibly difficult to balance income (if one even has any) and the rising costs of living. But I am only asking for your help with the computer, the rest will come in time.
I apologize for the lengthy explanation of my situation but I wanted my intentions and circumstances to be very clear. It would help my education immensely to have an updated computer. I will appreciate every cent, and even if I do not reach my $1000 goal, everything I do receive will go towards a new computer. Every little bit will help. I will also be saving up what I can so between myself, and all of you, we can achieve this goal!
If you donate, you have my absolute gratitude. If you decide not to donate, or can't, that is okay too. I appreciate you taking the time the read this and hear my story, I hope we can reach this goal together.
Sincerely,
Tiffany :)
Welcome to my GoFundMe page. I have started this page for what I think is a small but necessary goal, compared to some of the amazing success stories that come out of this site. Let me tell you a bit about myself, my goal, and why I am seeking your support.
To start, my name is Tiffany Fillier and I am a 24 year-old university graduate student. I completed my undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science - B.Sc.) in Environmental Science (Honours) - Biology Stream in a timely four years after I graduated high school (undergrad = 2012-2016). After completing my B.Sc., I took on a position as a Masters student (M.Sc.) (2016-present). This M.Sc. was a huge learning curve for me, as it focused on a chemistry background, which was a great opportunity to expand on my background in biology.
My M.Sc. is focusing on neurolipid biochemistry, more specifically... how the brain's lipid composition changes when exposed to certain fatty acids (which can come from diet) and what this may mean in terms of neurological/neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, just to name a couple.
I have been steadily working on this M.Sc. over the last two years, which is a small aspect of a larger project, and regular meetings with an academic advisory committee are a common thing. This tidbit of information is important because after one of these meetings recently, my committee suggested that I stay on the project (as opposed to them finding a new student to pick up where I would leave off) and transfer my M.Sc. into a PhD. This was an incredible opportunity to say the least, I absolutely could not turn this down... As difficult and cumbersome as research and the research world can be, I love that I have the opportunity to, at least, try and make a difference and help people, considering the topic of my research, as was previously mentioned.
So, at this point you may be wondering why I started this GoFundMe for a new computer. Well... with all this intensive schooling comes a lot of computer based work because of the data analysis and statistics that are all just a part of research.
This is why I started this GoFundMe page, this is one aspect of my post-secondary career that I truly feel is holding me back from the potential I can reach. Currently, my personal computer is a 2012 MacBook Pro. So, it is going on 7 years of heavy post-secondary use, and unfortunately, with the insanely fast pace of technology, has been and still is becoming more and more outdated by the day. I can no longer update it, apps crash, the computer itself crashes... you get the idea so needless to say it absolutely cannot handle any of the expensive softwares I have at my disposal from my lab. I have taken great care of it and kept it clean of unnecessary junk files but it just cannot keep up with my level of schooling anymore. It is not conducive to completing research in a timely manner.
If you are questioning my personal background in terms of why I am seeking support... well I can touch on that too. My parents help me out when it comes to tuition, but that is all they can really help me out with. I am unable to get loans because my parents make just (and I mean just barely) enough money that I do not qualify. I live a 25 minute drive away from my school, and I cannot afford to rent an apartment in the city so I commute back and forth using my parents vehicle because I cannot afford a car either. I am receiving funding for my schooling, but like I said my parents help me with tuition because tuition is not covered by this funding. To be honest, the funding I receive is only enough to keep me going to in gas (driving back and forth) and some groceries, and maybe the occasional supper with friends. So, like I said, based on this information I cannot afford a car, or an apartment, or a new computer with how expensive technology is these days! As a student, it is incredibly difficult to balance income (if one even has any) and the rising costs of living. But I am only asking for your help with the computer, the rest will come in time.
I apologize for the lengthy explanation of my situation but I wanted my intentions and circumstances to be very clear. It would help my education immensely to have an updated computer. I will appreciate every cent, and even if I do not reach my $1000 goal, everything I do receive will go towards a new computer. Every little bit will help. I will also be saving up what I can so between myself, and all of you, we can achieve this goal!
If you donate, you have my absolute gratitude. If you decide not to donate, or can't, that is okay too. I appreciate you taking the time the read this and hear my story, I hope we can reach this goal together.
Sincerely,
Tiffany :)
Organizer
Tiffany Fillier
Organizer
Corner Brook, NL
