Abigail Slater

Hi, I'm Abigail Slater, a brilliant, fiercely determined 19-year-old from Spanish Town, Jamaica, who has spent her entire life defying the odds. At 4:00 a.m. every morning, while most teenagers were still sleeping, I was already getting ready for school. I would begin a journey that took more than three hours each day just to get to Immaculate Conception High School in Kingston. I did it because I had a dream, and refused to let difficult circumstances take that dream away from me. I didn't just make it through those years, I excelled. My academic accomplishments speaks for themselves Academic Achievements CSEC: 10 Grade Ones and 1 grade 2 including straight-A profile in Mathematics, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies, Human & Social Biology and Information Technology. Ranked 3rd in Jamaica / 6th in the Caribbean on the CSEC 2024 Social Studies Territorial & Regional Merit List CAPE: 8 Grade Ones and 2 grade twos, including straight-A profile in Physics, Communication Studies, Biology and Caribbean Studies Ranked 2nd in Jamaica on the CAPE 2025 Communication Studies Territorial Merit List Leadership & Recognition Held a leadership position every year from Grade 8 through Grade 13. Placed on the Honors Roll every year from Grade 7 through Grade 13. Received the Principal's Merit Award. The Scholarships That Opened the Door My hard work opened doors I once only dreamed of walking through. I was awarded the Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholarship, the University of Miami's highest academic honor for incoming students. I was also selected as a Foote Fellow, inviting me into the University of Miami's prestigious honors program with unique research and learning opportunities. Additionally, I became a Tamara Lapman Grant recipient.. The University of Miami wanted me. I wasn't simply accepted into the University of Miami. I was offered the university's highest academic honor for incoming students, receiving approximately US$91,000 annually toward a total annual cost of attendance of approximately US$103,000. For a young girl who had fought so hard for an opportunity, this should have been the moment when everything finally became easier, but It wasn't. Instead, I was faced with even more discouragement and hardship. My only source of financial support was withdrawn and I was told to forget the scholarship and not go. Imagine working your entire life for a door to finally open, only to be told you cannot afford to walk through it. There I was, faced with an unimaginable decision: Forget the university. Forget the dream. But I had already learned something about myself: Abigail does not give up easily. I am a fighter. I am focused, and my eyes are firmly set on the road ahead that leads to my future. Thankfully, I have my mother behind me, who is always praying for me. She has been my greatest encouragement and support throughout my life and especially throughout this journey. But she is unemployed and simply not in a position to fund my education. So I had to move forward exercising faith. I have faith in God, and I strongly believe that He is with me throughout this difficult season. I know that He is a provider, and my journey so far is already a testimony of God opening doors that I could never have opened on my own. The Turning Point But then something extraordinary happened. People heard my story. People who weren't family. People who didn't owe me anything. People simply saw a young girl with remarkable potential and decided that her circumstances should not be allowed to determine her future. Total strangers along with members of my church community, believed in me. They sacrificed, they gave, and they encouraged me. Because God opened a door, and because people were willing to stand behind me, I was able to get on that airplane. I made it to Miami. Today, I can be found sitting in classrooms at the University of Miami, the very place I once feared I might never reach. But this is not my happy ending. There is still a mountain in front of me, and I'm asking you please, help me move it. The Mountain That Remains My scholarship covers tuition, but I still need approximately $12,000usd each year for the remaining costs of attending university. That's approximately $48,000usd over four years. My dream is to become a dermatologist. But that dream has never been only about myself. Even while working to build my own future, I founded a tutoring program for children whose families couldn't afford extra classes. I recruited capable students from my high school and teachers from my church community to help give those children something I deeply understands the value of: "An opportunity". I also spearheaded a school restorative justice workshop, creating opportunities for students to address conflict, accountability and restoration. Those experiences say something important about who I am. My dream has never been only about myself. I understand what it means to need someone to believe in you. I understand what it feels like to stand in front of a door that you so desperately want to walk through, and wonder whether circumstances will force you to turn around and walk away. That's why this story matters. This isn't simply about helping a student pay university expenses. It's about deciding that a young girl who has fought this hard, deserves a chance to see where her fight can take her. Think about the girl who woke up at 4:00 a.m. Think about the long journeys to and from school. Think about the countless hours of studying over the years. Think about the challenges she had to overcome. Think about the scholarships she earned. Think about the airplane ticket that generous people helped make possible. And now imagine being that girl... finally sitting inside the university she dreamed about, only to have to wonder whether she can afford to stay. I don't want that to be my story. I want my story to be: She struggled, but she was determined, she persevered, people believed in her, they stood behind her, and she made it. If you can help, please consider donating toward my $12,000 goal for this year. Every contribution brings me one step closer to staying at the university and continuing the journey toward becoming the woman I know I am capable of becoming. Your $10 matters. Your $25 matters. Your $50 matters. Your $100 matters. And if you cannot give, please share my story. Because your share may reach the person who has been looking for an opportunity to change someone's life. My hope is to stand on the other side of all of this one day, as Dr. Abigail Slater, caring for patients, serving my community, and giving other young people the same hope that others once gave me. I've already shown what I can do when the odds are against me. Now let's see what can happen when people stand behind me. Please help me stay in University. Donate if you can. Share if you cannot. Because sometimes, the difference between a dream that ends and a dream that becomes a reality, is simply having someone say: “Keep going. We believe in you.”