Help Gabrielle Continue Her Education at Spelman College

Hello everyone! My name is Gabrielle Cassell, and I am a rising sophomore, Honors Comparative Women's Studies major at the illustrious Spelman College.

I am seeking financial assistance in order to fund my ability to return back to my beloved institution for the upcoming academic year. My first year at Spelman was one of the most transformational experiences of my life and definitely solidified my gut feeling that Spelman was the only choice for me.

I was initially accepted to Spelman in December 2022 due to applying early decision. At the time, I was in the midst of a years-long struggle with my mental health and I was extremely worn out. I chose to take a gap year in order to recalibrate and gain back my passion for education. We always knew that Spelman was going to be financially challenging for us, a low-income family, and was not surprised when I received very little financial aid. We figured that if I could just get through the door, I would be able to get funding for the rest of my college journey. I ended up having to take out around $40,000 of private loans in order to finance my first year of college. It was very concerning for my family that I was already in such a major amount of student loan debt, but we did what had to be done in order for me to go to college.

My plan going into my first year was to excel in order to prove to my institution that I was a worthy investment. I was able to achieve a 4.0 GPA along with multiple academic honors. Even beyond just academic achievement, the experiences and opportunities that I had were invaluable. Just a few of these included working in the amazing Women's Research and Resource Center, being able to introduce award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah Jones at the Black Women's Health Imperative 40th Anniversary Conference, starting the Black Feminist Book Club, working as a chapel assistant in Sister's Chapel, being selected as the 2024-2025 chapter president of Alpha Lambda Delta First-Year National Honor Society, participating in student activism through Students for Justice in Palestine, and countless others. I never knew that I was capable of so much growth in such a short period of time before coming to Spelman.

I applied to numerous scholarships all throughout the academic year from as many sources as I could think of. To my dismay, not even one came through. When I had to reluctantly apply to private loans again, I was devastated when I was denied by every lender I applied to. Unfortunately, due to worsening financial circumstances, no one in my circle was able to cosign for me this year and due to my lack of a credit history, no lender was willing to give me a loan. I have turned to every source that I can think of for possible assistance including my financial aid office and administration and have come back with very little.

The deadline for payment for the fall semester is July 15th and I realize that the goal amount is very unrealistic for this frame of time. The alternative option we are given is to pay an initial payment of $16,000 and to enroll in a payment plan in order to pay off the rest through 3 equal installments. With my already existing financial aid, my initial payment would go down to $5000. If I am not able to raise the full amount by the deadline, which is highly likely, I would use this as an ongoing fundraiser in order to make my monthly payments. I will of course continue applying to scholarships frequently in hopes of gaining additional funding.

I am extremely grateful for any amount that you are able to give, no matter how small. Every cent will be going to my cost of attendance so that I am able to continue my journey at Spelman as I become the woman I hope to become. Thank you so much for your investment in me and my journey!