Serina's Study Abroad

Hi friends and family!

Thank you for visiting my Campaign profile. Please take a moment to read my story below. Donations or not, your support is much appreciated.

As most of you may know, I am an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology with a focus in child psychology. I am a woman, Latina, and first generation to attend college and now study abroad. 

I have been privileged with the opportunity of studying abroad in San Joaquin, Costa Rica for the entire spring semester of 2020. I chose to study in this country to further enhance my Spanish in hopes of furthering my career by becoming a bilingual clinical psychologist. Since my freshman year of college, I have been a year-round student dedicating myself to graduating early so that I can get a head start on pursuing my career. I have worked tirelessly averaging about 17 credits a semester, 2 classes a summer, and working part-time to sustain myself financially. 

My mother is a single parent who has done an amazing job at supporting me physically, emotionally, and financially especially through college, however, this opportunity requires much more than just my mom’s support. A single semester budget cost for studying abroad in Costa Rica is about $16,000 but after financial aid, grants, and scholarships, there is still a $5,000 gap that we are responsible for. However, as I am aware that it is such a short period of time to raise money as well as it being the holidays, I am asking for all my friends and family to consider contributing anything to help me reach my goal of $3,000. My deadline is January 10, 2020. By supporting me, you will not only contribute immensely to the experience of a lifetime, but you would also contribute to fulfilling my dream of studying abroad as my time as an undergraduate is quickly coming to an end. 

I am very excited, and at the same time, very terrified to be leaving home for so long. However, I promise to keep my facebook updated as I embark on this 4 month journey in another country. I hope you can take this journey with me.

With love,
Serina Rodriguez