Help Sascha Get to Seminary
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Hi, folks! Boy, this feels like a hard thing to ask, but I'm just going to plow through and ask for your help.
The short of it, with both wonderful news and not so great news. I spoke with the Bishop, who affirmed my call to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church. Alleluia! A gift from God! The not so great part: I can't be admitted to any seminaries, as I owe a significant debt directly to my university, and cannot receive my transcripts until I pay the debt.
The long of it:
I had a hard time in college. Like, a really hard time. I went through major losses and myriad mental health crises. I was later diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and ADHD, and realized that, in fact, many of my failures could have been mitigated with appropriate treatment (and, well, fewer family crises).
I paid almost all of my own way through school (with just one $3000 loan, now paid off), but dropped out my last semester, and never finished paying the bill.
I ignored it for too long, as life went on, babies were born, rents doubled, and we finally bought a house. I finally inquired about the debt late last year. My original debt to the university, a portion of my last semester's fees and tuition, has more than doubled with fees and interest and is now approximately $10,000.
I realize that lots of people have FAR more than that in student loan debt. The issue is that until I pay that amount in full, I cannot receive my university transcripts. There is no loan or grant program for direct-to-school debt, nor can the university settle, given that it is a debt to the state, and not a private company or institution. You can read more about the issues of direct-to-school debt and how it prevents students from finishing school at this link.
There are a handful of seminaries that will admit folks without bachelor's degrees, like me, but they simply cannot do that without my transcripts, which I cannot receive without paying this debt.
It feels so strange to ask friends and family for help paying a debt--but here I am. I know that so many support me in this endeavor, and I feel strongly called to the priesthood, for all of the reasons you all have heard me talk about a million times: using the church as a liberatory institution and the transformational power of the love of God to reconcile the church to all and move forward toward the Kingdom of God--where we all have our needs met and then some.
Thanks if you've read all of this, and thank you if you decide to give (or not!).
Organizer
Sascha Anderson
Organizer
Santa Fe, NM