Tuition for Taj
Donation protected
My name is Chelsea Hinderlie and I am a teacher and youth worker in the Burien area. Almost six years ago, when my husband Paul and I were newly married we met a girl who changed our lives. When Taj first moved in with us we had no idea she would become part of our forever family, but it didn’t take long before we knew we belonged to/with her. She moved in with us over five years ago and has become in nearly every sense of the word, our daughter. Though she may not belong legally or biologically to us we have developed a love and commitment to her as real as any parental connection I have experienced since.
Taj grew up under a challenging set of circumstances, yet through all of her trials she managed to maintain a warm spirit and heart for helping others, even in moments when she was the one who really needed the helping.
As a result of the trauma Taj experienced growing up, traditional school was always a challenge for her. By her junior year of high school she was severely credit deficient and well behind the curve for on time graduation. During her senior year, the man she called “dad” most of her life, Jimmie Johnson passed away. She was by his bedside nearly non-stop and despite being one of the youngest members of her family, she was left to take care of many of his end of life details on her own. As usual, in a moment when she was the one who needed to be cared for, she sacrificed her time and energy to help those around her. She used her little remaining willpower to complete her high school credit retrieval and get herself back on track for graduation. Watching her walk across the stage alongside her peers was the proudest moment I have felt so far as a mother.
After high school Taj resisted the idea of continuing schooling of any kind. Her experiences had led her to believe that she was incapable of being a successful student and that her options for her future were limited. That’s when Ecola Bible College came onto the scene. The one thing Taj did feel good at was loving people and loving Jesus. Paul and I pulled together all the money we possibly could to put her through two years of Bible college where she learned countless valuable lessons. She learned that she could be a capable student, that her future was hers to choose and that getting an education was something that was important to her for the first time in her life.
As she prayed about where to move her education next, Northwest University quickly rose to the top of her list as a school that encompassed many of her values and offered a variety of programs that suited her. She stalked our mailbox for WEEKS waiting for her acceptance letter to come and when it did, she nearly collapsed with relief.
When it came time for Taj to pay for her tuition, Paul and I were very little help. We are not her legal guardians and could not help her apply for financial aid and any money we had saved to send her to school we had already used to put her through bible school. Because of this, she had to apply for financial aid as an independent - homeless - student. For a girl who has fought for belonging in a family that isn’t biologically hers, having to label herself in this way was disheartening. After all of that, it still wasn’t enough to pay a single semester’s worth of tuition.
Taj spends most of her free time volunteering with local youth organizations, trying to connect students with positive adult role models in the area. The inconsistent school schedule, combined with her volunteering makes it very difficult to find a job with wages that will even make a dent in her tuition fees. Even with her volunteer activities Taj surprised herself by earning nearly straight Bs, something that would have been unheard of when she was in high school.
As of today, Taj still owes $4,227.48 in tuition. It’s a difficult thing for us to ask for help in this way because we have a fierce desire to provide for her in every way possible, and admitting that we can’t meet her needs in any area is very hard for us. In order to hold her housing spot on campus she needs the money by June 1st, and in order to maintain her enrollment in her fall courses she needs an additional $1,772.52, putting her total needs at an even $6,000. Any money raised will be paid through our bank account to Northwest University for the purposes of tuition and enrollment fees for the 2017-2018 school year and the upcoming 2018-2019 school year.
This world deserves individuals like Taj who are equipped to give back to their communities. My hope is that you will help us give her that opportunity.
Taj grew up under a challenging set of circumstances, yet through all of her trials she managed to maintain a warm spirit and heart for helping others, even in moments when she was the one who really needed the helping.
As a result of the trauma Taj experienced growing up, traditional school was always a challenge for her. By her junior year of high school she was severely credit deficient and well behind the curve for on time graduation. During her senior year, the man she called “dad” most of her life, Jimmie Johnson passed away. She was by his bedside nearly non-stop and despite being one of the youngest members of her family, she was left to take care of many of his end of life details on her own. As usual, in a moment when she was the one who needed to be cared for, she sacrificed her time and energy to help those around her. She used her little remaining willpower to complete her high school credit retrieval and get herself back on track for graduation. Watching her walk across the stage alongside her peers was the proudest moment I have felt so far as a mother.
After high school Taj resisted the idea of continuing schooling of any kind. Her experiences had led her to believe that she was incapable of being a successful student and that her options for her future were limited. That’s when Ecola Bible College came onto the scene. The one thing Taj did feel good at was loving people and loving Jesus. Paul and I pulled together all the money we possibly could to put her through two years of Bible college where she learned countless valuable lessons. She learned that she could be a capable student, that her future was hers to choose and that getting an education was something that was important to her for the first time in her life.
As she prayed about where to move her education next, Northwest University quickly rose to the top of her list as a school that encompassed many of her values and offered a variety of programs that suited her. She stalked our mailbox for WEEKS waiting for her acceptance letter to come and when it did, she nearly collapsed with relief.
When it came time for Taj to pay for her tuition, Paul and I were very little help. We are not her legal guardians and could not help her apply for financial aid and any money we had saved to send her to school we had already used to put her through bible school. Because of this, she had to apply for financial aid as an independent - homeless - student. For a girl who has fought for belonging in a family that isn’t biologically hers, having to label herself in this way was disheartening. After all of that, it still wasn’t enough to pay a single semester’s worth of tuition.
Taj spends most of her free time volunteering with local youth organizations, trying to connect students with positive adult role models in the area. The inconsistent school schedule, combined with her volunteering makes it very difficult to find a job with wages that will even make a dent in her tuition fees. Even with her volunteer activities Taj surprised herself by earning nearly straight Bs, something that would have been unheard of when she was in high school.
As of today, Taj still owes $4,227.48 in tuition. It’s a difficult thing for us to ask for help in this way because we have a fierce desire to provide for her in every way possible, and admitting that we can’t meet her needs in any area is very hard for us. In order to hold her housing spot on campus she needs the money by June 1st, and in order to maintain her enrollment in her fall courses she needs an additional $1,772.52, putting her total needs at an even $6,000. Any money raised will be paid through our bank account to Northwest University for the purposes of tuition and enrollment fees for the 2017-2018 school year and the upcoming 2018-2019 school year.
This world deserves individuals like Taj who are equipped to give back to their communities. My hope is that you will help us give her that opportunity.
Organizer
Chelsea Hinderlie
Organizer
Seattle, WA
