Help Upile Get to Oxford!!
Welcome
Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this. I want you to know that I appreciate you and every bit of support will help.
My name is Upile Chisala (@BeingUpile). I am a Malawian writer, sociologist and human rights advocate. This year, I have been offered a place at the University of Oxford to study for an MSc in African Studies. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am afraid the financial undertaking will keep me from pursing it.
About Me
Born and raised in Malawi, I graduated valedictorian from Mount Sinai International High School. In 2011, I moved to New Mexico and attended New Mexico State University (NMSU). Last year, I graduated with a High Honors B.A in Sociology with a supplementary major in Law & Society and minors in Women’s Studies and Contemporary Social Studies.
During my time at NMSU, I worked part time, volunteered locally and internationally, helped asylum seekers as part of an internship and managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. In 2014, I was awarded The Honors College Scholarship For International Research and with it I conducted maternal healthcare research on Likoma Island, Malawi. This research involved documenting the perspectives of mothers and healthcare workers on the conditions of maternal healthcare on the island. My dream is continue conducting women’s rights research in Malawi and this offer to attend Oxford is a way to make that possible.
Since graduating, I have lent my time to immigrant rights advocacy by interning at the Internal Rescue Committee as well as to my craft as a poet. I am the author of a collection of poems that encourages self-care, celebrates people of color and explores gender, joy, diaspora and survival entitled soft magic .I am also the co-founder of Yanja Series , a gathering series that creates a safe space for individuals of color to connect, create and engage with the community in Baltimore. Though I am doing work that I enjoy I know that I won’t be able to finance this degree by relying on it alone.
About the Program
This program begins in October 2016. Created for students who want to expand their knowledge on African studies, this nine-month course is “designed both as a stand-alone interdisciplinary introduction to current debates about Africa..”. African Studies Course
Tuition at Oxford
The total cost of the program is $30,655.49.
I am asking for help with this cost that will go directly to my tuition fee and college fee.
What I Will Be Studying
The program has four main components: a core course on methodology and research strategies, a core course on themes in Africa, an optional paper and a dissertation of 15,000 words. These courses look at research methods on Africa and critically examine issues throughout African past and present. With my interdisciplinary social sciences and humanities background all these courses are exciting to me and I cannot wait to get to class! And as a storyteller I plan on basing my dissertation on narratives of marginalized women in Malawi.
My Goals
At 21, I am an ambitious black African woman who wants to make a positive impact in my country and Oxford will give me the world-class tools to do just that. The resources available at Oxford alone are why this is my dream school. This MSc will better me as a researcher, a humanitarian, a writer, and all in all as a person. These are some of my goals:
1. Complete this MSc in African Studies.
2. Continue writing poetry and celebrating individuals of color in the arts.
3. Pursue a PhD in Development Studies.
4. Found an NGO that caters to the needs of mothers and children in rural areas of Malawi.
5. Become a professor at the University of Malawi and design counter-hegemonic courses that address the interplay between development, history, gender and justice.
Thank you so much for all your time and consideration. Once again, know that I will be eternally grateful for any contribution to furthering my education.
Please feel free to share this link. Please feel free to get in contact with me.
Yours,
Upile.
