Invest in Black Trans Women's Higher Education
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Vanessa Warri is a Nigerian-American community-based researcher, strategist, and advocate, who for over 13 years has provided empowerment based direct services and peer education for transgender communities, LGBTQQIA+ youth, the incarcerated, and has used her voice to uplift the experiences of her community and advocate for higher standards of care.
Higher education and access to it is often an intense obstacle course for transgender women of color living at the intersections of being transgender, being Black, being a woman, and living in poverty. Vanessa Warri has sought to prove that sheer will and determination and the dare to dream can be a transformative experience.
For the past 6 years, since the age of 24, Vanessa has relentlessly pursued her education, receiving 3 Associate Degrees with high honors from City College of San Francisco, 2 Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], and now at 30 years old, is the first Black transgender woman to be accepted into a 5-year joint MSW/PhD program in Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs beginning in September of 2020, focusing on social and economic justice and mental health and wellness. Vanessa's seeks to improve self-efficacy and quality of life among Black transgender women by engaging them in educational literacy and professional development initiatives and creating sustainable paths towards higher education and equitable employment.
A major component of Vanessa’s educational journey is completing a year-long internship for her master’s degree. For this Vanessa needs a car to be able to travel for work, and when COVID-19 related restrictions allow for in-person classes again, she anticipates needing a car to facilitate transport between her work site, school, and home. Vanessa needs support with the costs of a vehicle, registration fees, insurance, and gas for the school year.
Additionally, Vanessa needs to relocate to sustainable housing that is more centrally located between her school and her internship. She needs support with the costs of housing (application fees, first month’s rent & deposit - typically double the rent in California, moving costs, etc.), and enough money to be able to survive one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. and sustainably allow for her to focus her undivided attention on her education over the life of her 5 year educational journey.
Your support, will enable for the next generation of community leaders to thrive <3
Higher education and access to it is often an intense obstacle course for transgender women of color living at the intersections of being transgender, being Black, being a woman, and living in poverty. Vanessa Warri has sought to prove that sheer will and determination and the dare to dream can be a transformative experience.
For the past 6 years, since the age of 24, Vanessa has relentlessly pursued her education, receiving 3 Associate Degrees with high honors from City College of San Francisco, 2 Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], and now at 30 years old, is the first Black transgender woman to be accepted into a 5-year joint MSW/PhD program in Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs beginning in September of 2020, focusing on social and economic justice and mental health and wellness. Vanessa's seeks to improve self-efficacy and quality of life among Black transgender women by engaging them in educational literacy and professional development initiatives and creating sustainable paths towards higher education and equitable employment.
A major component of Vanessa’s educational journey is completing a year-long internship for her master’s degree. For this Vanessa needs a car to be able to travel for work, and when COVID-19 related restrictions allow for in-person classes again, she anticipates needing a car to facilitate transport between her work site, school, and home. Vanessa needs support with the costs of a vehicle, registration fees, insurance, and gas for the school year.
Additionally, Vanessa needs to relocate to sustainable housing that is more centrally located between her school and her internship. She needs support with the costs of housing (application fees, first month’s rent & deposit - typically double the rent in California, moving costs, etc.), and enough money to be able to survive one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. and sustainably allow for her to focus her undivided attention on her education over the life of her 5 year educational journey.
Your support, will enable for the next generation of community leaders to thrive <3
Organizer
Vanessa Warri
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA