Help Rupert Fox Finish His College Degree and Crush Debt

Banner art by me.

Hello, everyone from all walks of life throughout the furry and MLP communities!

Just call me Rupert! Rupert the big fuzzy blue dude.

About Me

I am a self-taught freelance cartoonist with a passion for drawing fuzzy animals and fictional characters since early 2012. Around that time, I was already in school pursuing an Associate’s for Digital Media Production, although… it hadn’t exactly panned out the way I hoped it would. Years later, when I was still living with my family, I excelled in doing art commissions for as many fur enthusiasts as possible. Outside of that, I started looking for low-wage jobs to make some extra side money and make a better living for myself and have my own place. Having ambitions to live on my own, I quit my initial day job back in 2018, doing grocery work at a local supermarket, and I went to online school at Grantham University (now University of Arkansas Grantham) to get another degree, which I thought could set me on a more viable and less stressful path. I eventually moved into my own apartment in 2019, believing I was up to the task, with some help from financial aid and a number of credit cards.

Statement of Purpose

Growing up, I had always believed in the promise of self-importance and being able to live with dignity. While I did manage to graduate with an Associate’s in Computer Science in 2 years, the 4th year in my pursuit to achieve a Bachelor’s Degree was a challenge. Unfortunately, my financial aid had run out, and I was forced to partake in another low-wage job to make up for lost wages. This had led to my 2-year struggle to pay off my remaining school balance of $1,580.00 USD. And it was only going to get worse, as I found out earlier this year that the school informed me that I waited too long to get on their repayment plan. They also sold off the balance to a 3rd-party debt collector, and the balance has now ballooned to $1,817.00 USD. This new amount now has to be paid IN FULL before I can even think about re-applying to the school and finishing my degree. Sadly, they also said I can’t even re-apply as a “graduate student” due to that balance. With this misstep on my part, I am stuck. While I am grateful that I have received generous amounts through cartoon commissions in this fandom, I believe that more can be done to actually push me across the finish line.

Recently, I have floated a proposal to my family that I should go to another school and pursue an education in another college for a Bachelor’s in Graphics Design at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), given my expertise in cartooning… but even that is put on hold. And being close to $10,000 in debt overall is not helping any matters right now.

UPDATE: as of October 3, 2024: I’ve recently moved into a new unit at my housing apartment complex and everything is set up. Unfortunately, this also placed a HUGE monetary burden on me. Because I was on a Flatbill plan with Georgia Power when I was asked to make my move by my landlords, the final power bill for the account linked to my old unit placed an “early termination fee” on said bill, BALLOONING the final bill to $505.41. It also doesn’t help that after making a decision to switch internet providers from Spectrum to AT&T’s “Access” discount service (so I can save money), the former charged me another $49.99. In all, I owe close to $555 in that regard. With that in mind, I have decided to change the goal accordingly.

What Can You Do

If you can help me reach the goal here, I will be committing more of my time to not only the studies but also to exploring new horizons in the world of cartooning. This includes more full-page comic stories, delving into 3D art, musical creativity, and even animations. Honestly, animations have been piquing my interest for the longest time, and I’ve always wanted to showcase what I can do in this field. Not only that, but I can only put in more effort to my up-and-coming fursuiting videos.

To reiterate, all donations will be going into paying off the aforementioned school loan balance that was sold off to the debt collector. Only then will I be able to reapply for school and FINALLY finish my Bachelor’s Degree.

Cost

As some of you may know, each transaction has a fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per donation (USD), so the goal amount will come down to $2,000.00 USD. Once I reach this goal, the rest of my productive life, both online and in the real world, will actually begin.

Thanks

To me, reaching this goal will assure that I will get back to finishing what I’ve initially started with my online school, earn my degree, and reapply for an extended education with more crucially needed financial aid. With that, I will also be able to pay off a large chunk of my debt.

Lastly, I’d like to thank you for taking your time to read my story. My family and I also have big plans to buy a piece of land somewhere and build our dream houses on it, but that is a story for another time. For now, my main story is to spread this message and share the love to yours truly. Despite the trying times that I’m going through, I will still find the time to express my love for this community through my craft and connecting to as many furry enthusiasts and fuzzy friends as I can. In parting, don’t forget to be cool and stay awesome!

Oh, and thank you again, for every little bit does help.

With love,

Rupert