Help Jackie In Her Purpose-Driven Journey in Social Work

Hello family,

My name is Jackie, and I’m a Master of Social Work (MSW) student at Wayne State University. Since I was a little girl growing up in Detroit, I’ve known that my purpose was to fight for social justice, equity, and the empowerment of marginalized communities. I have always had a heart full of passion and empathy for helping those in need, and I have never hesitated to lend a helping hand.

I was born and raised in an abusive, low-income household in an urban community and have faced my share of adversities, but those experiences shaped my passion for advocacy and service. Despite challenges, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, where I also pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated-Beta Eta Chapter, serving in many positions within the chapter and attending conferences. As well, I was apart of numerous on campus groups such as the Black Student Union, Leaders and Best Mentorship Group, Supporting Incoming Black Students (SIBS), Noir Fashion Organization, Dalliance Dance Team, and even had a hand in co-founding University of Michigan’s first Black Mental Health Forum, “You Good Fam?”. My time there deepened my commitment to service, self-improvement, and making a difference for others.

Over the past five years since completing my undergraduate degree, I’ve dedicated myself to community service, supporting myself in every way possible, and growing into the person I needed to be to fulfill my purpose: to be a voice for the voiceless, a fighter for equity, and a resource for those who feel forgotten. I felt purposeless in the plethora of job positions that I have held over the years, and I knew that I was not living in my true and genuine purpose. That purpose is why I am pursuing my MSW—to turn my passion for social justice into action.

In Fall 2024, I decided to further pursue my education so that I have the credential backing to be able to perform the community work that my heart desires to do. Now, after nearly completing my first semester in my graduate program, I’m reaching out to the community for support as I navigate an unexpected financial barrier that threatens my ability to continue this important work.

When I started off the semester, I was experiencing a myriad of personal problems that sent me into a spiral that made it very difficult for me to transition from a regular life of “adulting” back into the life of a full-time student. I had to cut back on my hours tremendously to support both a full course load as well as an intern position at the Detroit Chamber Promise Path Program, an agency committed to providing last-dollar funding for students seeking undergraduate degrees in Michigan colleges and universities, and even more to manage my mental health as I received a recent diagnosis of ADHD, posing new challenges with my focus and concentration that exacerbated that of what I experienced in undergraduate. These adjustments eventually forced me to move to on campus graduate housing for the convenience of my schedule and load, but even this has also became a more complicated expense than anticipated. However, regardless of these difficulties, I persevered and continued on with my classes, forging a supportive connection with my advisors and professors alike, and continued to look for funding for my education. Unfortunately, I discovered that it isn’t too much funding for MSW students at Wayne State University. I was approved for FAFSA and was awarded a $10k contribution for each semester, but unfortunately I still had nearly $5k left to cover for my tuition. I applied for the GRAD Plus loan and was immediately denied due to adverse credit history. I hadn’t lost hope just yet, as I continued to look for private funding, scholarships, and etc so that I may continue on without a worry of how I would be paying for my education (as working a full time job just isn’t an option). However, in the past few months since starting the semester and applying to the funding that Is available to me, the balance I had starting off in the semester only started to increase. I was also unable to do a payment plan due to me not being able to make the first payment of almost $2k outright and then another payment of about $2k two weeks after. Due to this, late fees started accumulated and some charges for next semester have already fixed my account. Unfortunately, I recently learned that I have a $6,500 balance that I must reduce to $2,500 in order to register for next semester’s classes. Without this, I risk pausing my education, delaying my ability to give back to the communities I care so deeply about.

This is an incredibly difficult position for me to be in. I’ve always prided myself on being self-sufficient, relying on scholarships, loans, and hard work to get through school. Unfortunately, due to an adverse credit history, lack of familial support, and no access to co-signers or private loans, I’ve exhausted all other options. The financial challenges of pursuing higher education, particularly at institutions like the University of Michigan and Wayne State, have caught up with me despite my best efforts.

This situation has forced me to make tough decisions. I’ve already resolved to defer my second master’s degree in Public Health at Wayne State because I simply cannot afford to take on more credits which equals more tuition to pay. If I am able to complete this first year in its entirety, I will likely have to fall to part time, and if I’m unable to get any funding at all, I will likely have to drop out all together. I’ve considered giving up my pets (as they can be expensive and I cannot afford frequent vet visits), selling belongings—anything to stay afloat. Even writing this now is incredibly difficult, as ideally I would like to handle this situation privately and independently, as I have done everything else I have dealt with in life and am not to privy to the internet knowing my struggles, as I know everyone else reading this has one similar or worse. But as hard as it is to ask for help, I know that turning to my community for support is my best option, as what I require is now superseding what it is that I am reasonably able to provide for myself.

Despite these difficulties, I have worked hard and displayed discipline to get through all of these classes and maintained good grades throughout. I currently hold a 3.0 GPA, and with final grades coming in, I anticipate it will be even higher. Also during a brief period of unemployment, I launched my own mixology company, Sips of Sunny, which I am open to doing gig work for donations as well. I’m doing everything I can to maintain academic excellence while working part-time as a bartender and balancing living expenses. Yet the reality is that I cannot overcome this hurdle alone. This is why I am asking for your help.

Your support will help me:

-Reduce my balance to continue next semester and stay on track in my MSW program

-Relieve some of the financial strain so I can focus on my studies and the job I currently have

-Avoid pausing my education and ensure that I can continue to fight for the communities I serve

-Ensure that I can stay in campus housing for the following semester, just enough to repair my credit history and save money to be approved for an apartment by summer 2025 SO that I can continue on with my coursework (note: financial aid awards do not cover required spring/summer courses)

Every contribution, no matter the size, gets me closer to this goal. If you’re unable to donate, simply sharing my story would mean so much to me. Reading it and leaving an encouraging note as I get through finals can help to, as I do admit it is getting increasingly difficult to stay motivated and complete coursework in a program that I am uncertain if I will even be able to continue in or not. I thank you all for believing in me and my vision. I am determined to overcome this challenge and use my education to create lasting change. Please understand, I am not asking for the full amount as I am currently saving up every tip I make from my part time bartending gig to contribute to this debt, and I only have approximately 3 weeks to raise this so that I may withdraw the money, write a check to the university, and register for classes before my account goes in the black completely with next semester tuition charges (charges apply to the account on January 3rd, which will nearly double my current balance of $6500 and then I really won’t be able to register). I also understands that next semester I will have an ending balance to pay off in may, which I anticipate picking up more hours and saving every penny to rectify that at the end of the semester. Whatever I need to do to make it to the semester, I will do, including asking for your support. With your support, I can continue this journey and fulfill my purpose, and eventually be able to give back to those who carried me along the way.

With love and gratitude,

Jackie