Colleen's Tuition
Donation protected
My name is Travis. I am 40 years old. I've never been married and I don't have any kids. However, I do have three nieces and a nephew. I'm not tryin to put anybody to sleep, so let me just say that these four young people have been a bigger blessing in my life than I could have ever even thought to ask for.
My oldest niece Erin, is a hard working mother of two. Her children are smart and funny and in my mind she is an example to mothers everywhere. Erin just graduated from cosmetology school.
Her brother Sean is an Army Veteran working in finance and has been diligently working toward starting a career in law enforcement. He is one of the few men in this life that I actually look up to.
Lana, the youngest, is in her second year at UC Davis. She is turning into a young woman and the shy little girl that she used to have inside is fast turning into one of the biggest personalities in the family.
This may sound crazy but, Lana was lucky enough to be so, "economically disadvantaged" when she enrolled in school, that she qualified for every grant that she applied for. Put that together with a couple of scholarships, and a little help from the family, and Lana just may graduate free of debt...
Which brings me to Colleen. This is a story about Colleen.
Colleen is beautiful, smart & funny. We started to become friends and share ideas when she was in her early teens. I would bore her with conversations about politics and education, and she would make me laugh with fake accents, funny noises and an awkward sense of humor.
Aside from the way she makes me smile, the thing that really stands out when I think about my niece (although she may not know it yet) is that she can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to. She has always been hard working. She has always gotten good grades. She has always been a light in this world to her family and her friends. I just don't want her to get discouraged...
Colleen put herself to work right out of high school. She wasn't exactly happy with her job but she did it very well. It wasn't long before she was in a managerial position. Two years later she went from selling high end clothes to working at a high end resort. Not long after that, she got promoted to management there as well. I used to tell her, "if you keep this up long enough, and you decide you really want it, you can own this place". And I have faith in that to this day.
I could write for hours about my niece and my loved ones. But what I really need to do is get this campaign started. I've been stalling on it for a month....
Long story short:
Colleen put herself through 3 years of school at Napa Valley Junior College. Last year she fell in love and married a young Air Force Mechanic named, "Tino". Two months later she moved to New Jersey to live with her new husband. She spent an east coast winter cooped up in the house with her dog and now she is ready to begin her new life.
The point of all this:
-Colleen applied and got accepted to Rutgers University.
-Colleen applied for financial aid and got denied.
-Uncle Travis really wants to take the opportunity to rant about how the government should help one of its servicemen put his wife through school.
-Uncle Travis is about to do something way better...
This is Colleen's Go Fund Me Account.
As of now, she needs $16,000.00 per semester (yes she has and is applying for loans). I have no idea how far we are going to get but we have to try something. I am going to start out this morning with a $500.00 donation. I will continue to donate on a weekly basis. I will TRY to update on a regular basis (I have very little patience for social media...).
Please, if you know Colleen, if you love Colleen, if you're just feeling generous, or you're trying to itemize on your taxes, make a donation.
Help me help my niece achieve a higher education.
My oldest niece Erin, is a hard working mother of two. Her children are smart and funny and in my mind she is an example to mothers everywhere. Erin just graduated from cosmetology school.
Her brother Sean is an Army Veteran working in finance and has been diligently working toward starting a career in law enforcement. He is one of the few men in this life that I actually look up to.
Lana, the youngest, is in her second year at UC Davis. She is turning into a young woman and the shy little girl that she used to have inside is fast turning into one of the biggest personalities in the family.
This may sound crazy but, Lana was lucky enough to be so, "economically disadvantaged" when she enrolled in school, that she qualified for every grant that she applied for. Put that together with a couple of scholarships, and a little help from the family, and Lana just may graduate free of debt...
Which brings me to Colleen. This is a story about Colleen.
Colleen is beautiful, smart & funny. We started to become friends and share ideas when she was in her early teens. I would bore her with conversations about politics and education, and she would make me laugh with fake accents, funny noises and an awkward sense of humor.
Aside from the way she makes me smile, the thing that really stands out when I think about my niece (although she may not know it yet) is that she can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to. She has always been hard working. She has always gotten good grades. She has always been a light in this world to her family and her friends. I just don't want her to get discouraged...
Colleen put herself to work right out of high school. She wasn't exactly happy with her job but she did it very well. It wasn't long before she was in a managerial position. Two years later she went from selling high end clothes to working at a high end resort. Not long after that, she got promoted to management there as well. I used to tell her, "if you keep this up long enough, and you decide you really want it, you can own this place". And I have faith in that to this day.
I could write for hours about my niece and my loved ones. But what I really need to do is get this campaign started. I've been stalling on it for a month....
Long story short:
Colleen put herself through 3 years of school at Napa Valley Junior College. Last year she fell in love and married a young Air Force Mechanic named, "Tino". Two months later she moved to New Jersey to live with her new husband. She spent an east coast winter cooped up in the house with her dog and now she is ready to begin her new life.
The point of all this:
-Colleen applied and got accepted to Rutgers University.
-Colleen applied for financial aid and got denied.
-Uncle Travis really wants to take the opportunity to rant about how the government should help one of its servicemen put his wife through school.
-Uncle Travis is about to do something way better...
This is Colleen's Go Fund Me Account.
As of now, she needs $16,000.00 per semester (yes she has and is applying for loans). I have no idea how far we are going to get but we have to try something. I am going to start out this morning with a $500.00 donation. I will continue to donate on a weekly basis. I will TRY to update on a regular basis (I have very little patience for social media...).
Please, if you know Colleen, if you love Colleen, if you're just feeling generous, or you're trying to itemize on your taxes, make a donation.
Help me help my niece achieve a higher education.
Organizer and beneficiary
Travis Krauss
Organizer
Vallejo, CA
Colleen Perez
Beneficiary