Help an African student to finish college at U-M

Hi, my name is Sihle from South Africa. Currently a second-year master's student (Final Semester) in the Survey and Data Science program at the University of Michigan. The program has been exceptional in providing me with the tools to attempt to solve some of the pressing problems we face as a country and continent, such as producing real-time data to nowcast (prediction of the present) on the labor market as compared to the current lagging economic indicators.

A lot has been written on how Africa develops policy in the dark (lack of data) and contributes only 1% of the global research. Part of the problem this has continued is that the continent is not investing in sufficient human capital in world-class programs like the one at U-M (let alone structural barriers).

In my classes, I have been the only African or black student, especially in majors such as Big Data Computing. This has come with its own psychological frustrations including the urge to give up at times as I have experienced loneliness and feelings of isolation.

Despite this, I have managed to obtain a 3.5 GPA and developed a paper that explores our country's (hopefully continent) solution towards more granular timely data to effect policy and hold leaders accountable.

Although I work part-time, the earnings have only been sufficient to sustain my cost of living and have not managed to meet the great cost of obtaining the invaluable education I am receiving in the USA.

It is from this background that I humbly request your help to pay for my college tuition and strengthen our country's knowledge economy by assisting me to continue and complete my studies at the University of Michigan.