Help Sierra Prepare for Grad School
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Hi everyone!
My name is Sierra Davis.
I am organizing this fundraiser to help me prepare for graduate school. I am a first generation college student and the second person in my entire family to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. This May, I earned my BSW from Winthrop University.
The household I grew up in was deeply abusive. I was isolated from other people my age and was not allowed to work. When I began my undergraduate career, I grappled with newly acquired responsibilities and social lessons as I adjusted to life on my own. I was regularly faced with health issues, and as I was uninsured, I was responsible for covering the costs. I recently had surgery, and am staring down thousands of dollars of debt if I am not approved for charity.
I came across amazing opportunities as an undergraduate student. I was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship , which funded a semester abroad in the United Kingdom during my sophomore year. Once I returned, I used my experiences abroad to fuel research about students and sustainable development as a member of my university’s McNair Scholars program. I presented my research at several conferences, and am working with my mentor on pursuing a publication.
Even though I have built a career that I am proud of, I am still in need. I am passionate about advocacy, particularly for marginalized communities that have been left out of the conversation surrounding immigration, social justice, and environmentalism. I was admitted into the University of San Francisco’s MA of International Studies program, with a focus on sustainable development and environmental justice. The faculty I have been in contact with have been kind to me—I was given a waiver for the deposit. I was given the full amount of funding available to the program. I was nominated for, and recently awarded with, a research fellowship that will help cover the rest of my tuition, and I was offered a research assistantship.
I have been living with family in my hometown, uncomfortably close to the parents that abused me. I am living with four other people with no privacy and less chances to practice social distancing because I must help out as much as possible. I am still recovering from the mental and emotional impact of my childhood and the difficult experiences I had attempting to cope with living on my own after I left my parents’ home. I have been looking for work, but in the meantime, I am living in an environment that is making it exceedingly difficult to generate funds and remain healthy. A friend of mine has offered me a place to stay and work until August, and though there will be significantly less financial obligations, I will still need to help her.
My main concern is the difficulty associated with securing affordable housing in San Francisco. San Francisco is significantly more expensive than anywhere I have ever lived, and the deposit for even the cheapest living spaces I have found averages around $2500. The amount I have asked for will help me secure a plane ticket, housing before classes start in August, help me cover any medical debt I may have to cover, and leave me with additional money for groceries and utilities as I get on my feet.
Before I received the fellowship, I was prepared to turn down USF’s offer, as deferment is not an option for my program. Now that I have received additional funding from my school, there is a better chance that I will be able to attend school. I have built a lot of positive momentum these past few years, and it is my dream build a career that will help me put some good into the world. Please consider donating and passing this along!
My name is Sierra Davis.
I am organizing this fundraiser to help me prepare for graduate school. I am a first generation college student and the second person in my entire family to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. This May, I earned my BSW from Winthrop University.
The household I grew up in was deeply abusive. I was isolated from other people my age and was not allowed to work. When I began my undergraduate career, I grappled with newly acquired responsibilities and social lessons as I adjusted to life on my own. I was regularly faced with health issues, and as I was uninsured, I was responsible for covering the costs. I recently had surgery, and am staring down thousands of dollars of debt if I am not approved for charity.
I came across amazing opportunities as an undergraduate student. I was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship , which funded a semester abroad in the United Kingdom during my sophomore year. Once I returned, I used my experiences abroad to fuel research about students and sustainable development as a member of my university’s McNair Scholars program. I presented my research at several conferences, and am working with my mentor on pursuing a publication.
Even though I have built a career that I am proud of, I am still in need. I am passionate about advocacy, particularly for marginalized communities that have been left out of the conversation surrounding immigration, social justice, and environmentalism. I was admitted into the University of San Francisco’s MA of International Studies program, with a focus on sustainable development and environmental justice. The faculty I have been in contact with have been kind to me—I was given a waiver for the deposit. I was given the full amount of funding available to the program. I was nominated for, and recently awarded with, a research fellowship that will help cover the rest of my tuition, and I was offered a research assistantship.
I have been living with family in my hometown, uncomfortably close to the parents that abused me. I am living with four other people with no privacy and less chances to practice social distancing because I must help out as much as possible. I am still recovering from the mental and emotional impact of my childhood and the difficult experiences I had attempting to cope with living on my own after I left my parents’ home. I have been looking for work, but in the meantime, I am living in an environment that is making it exceedingly difficult to generate funds and remain healthy. A friend of mine has offered me a place to stay and work until August, and though there will be significantly less financial obligations, I will still need to help her.
My main concern is the difficulty associated with securing affordable housing in San Francisco. San Francisco is significantly more expensive than anywhere I have ever lived, and the deposit for even the cheapest living spaces I have found averages around $2500. The amount I have asked for will help me secure a plane ticket, housing before classes start in August, help me cover any medical debt I may have to cover, and leave me with additional money for groceries and utilities as I get on my feet.
Before I received the fellowship, I was prepared to turn down USF’s offer, as deferment is not an option for my program. Now that I have received additional funding from my school, there is a better chance that I will be able to attend school. I have built a lot of positive momentum these past few years, and it is my dream build a career that will help me put some good into the world. Please consider donating and passing this along!
Organizer
Sierra Davis
Organizer
Newberry, SC