Help Ann Laurie attend Howard University this fall

Hi! My name is Ann Laurie Pierre and I am a high school senior at Everett High in Massachusetts. On April 28th, 2020, my father, a cancer survivor, passed away due to COVID-19. I thought the challenges would stop there, but, because of the pandemic, my mother, who was working as a CNA, contracted the virus several times. Due to her weakened immune system as a cancer survivor, she had to stop working and has been unemployed for over a year. A single mother of three, she has had to rely on unemployment and relief checks to support our family. Then, in early December, my mother’s leukemia returned. When we got the news that my mother would need a bone marrow transplant, I quickly volunteered to be her donor because I knew the success rate would be higher if the donor were a relative. For two months, I was in and out of the hospital to prepare myself for the bone marrow transplant extraction for my mother, forcing me to request a leave of absence at my part-time job, which led to me losing that job that helped support my younger sibling and cousin. As I am writing this today, the transplant was successful and my mother is slowly improving, but she has been in the hospital for the past five months, leaving my half sister and me to take care of the younger kids. Somehow, my mother has to send both of us off to college this year, which doubles the expenses for tuition, room and board, books--well, you get the idea. We never expected our situation to be this complicated, but with no source of income in the household, my ill mother simply cannot fund both mine and my sister’s educational pursuits. So we have decided to start this GoFundMe campaign to try and help. 

 I am incredibly honored to have been admitted to Howard University, my dream school since sixth grade. In the fall, I will be a freshman in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, in the Health Management program. Howard is the perfect school for me for so many reasons: their motto is Truth and Service, and in everything I do, I’m always serving. I am involved with numerous youth and civic groups in my school, community, and church, where I try to empower other young people of color and advocate for our voices to be represented. Because of the lack of representation at school, I founded a group called “Empowering Young Black Excellence Club,” (the first Black society at my school) which has become a safe space for my peers as well as a source of education for our whole school community. Because my school did not have an active student council, I co-founded another group, Leaders of Tomorrow, to provide student input and voice around school policies and practices, and this year I was voted senior class president. Outside of school, I am a member of The Teen Empowering Community, where we work with our local police department to advocate for policy reform and ethical practices. Because of my work in these organizations, I was invited to join my city’s Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Equal Employment Commission where I am now able to provide input on city policies and represent those like me from my community. I am also a strong advocate for local health initiatives that educate and empower BIPOC communities, and, this past year, I volunteered at the polls as a Haitian Kreyòl and French interpreter to give back and support people’s ability to engage equally in our political process.

As a Black, social justice advocate, I am always trying to speak truth to power and serve those who are most in need. Whether it be in the community, with an organization, or on a committee, I know I will be able to continue serving at Howard where I will be supported by amazing Black brothers and sisters who share my vision and dedication.  Through my education at the Mecca, I hope to gain the skills to fulfill my dreams of helping people in underserved communities like mine--as well as in my parent’s home country of Haiti and other developing nations--where I hope to one day build clinics and hospitals. I understand the importance of quality health care, and want to make it a reality for those in predominantly Black and Brown communities who sadly do not always have the same access and level of care as others. I believe that I radiate Black excellence and cannot wait to surround myself with people who have similar dreams and goals and where I can learn in a community that will both support and challenge me, but I still have a ways to go before I can close the financial gap and make my dreams a reality.

I was blessed to receive some financial aid and scholarship from Howard as well as other sources, and I continue to apply to more scholarship funds in hopes of receiving additional awards. But, as it stands, my single mother simply cannot afford to send me to college without additional assistance, and my two part-time jobs are not enough to earn enough money to fill the gap for my educational costs due to our family’s circumstances.

I thank you for taking the time to read my story and I would greatly appreciate anything you can contribute to helping me fulfill my dreams of studying at the illustrious Howard University.


PBS article with video diaries documenting my journey
Acceptance to Howard article 
Local PBS article written about me