Help MIT Undergraduate with Disabilities Pay for School

About Me

I am a current student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Despite being born with disabilities, I have strived to live a "normal" life, requiring no special modifcations despite the fact that I write, type, and draw with my feet and wear a bone-conducting hearing aid. I enjoy drawing, painting, running, singing, and playing piano - hobbies typical of many able-bodied people.

Why I Am Asking for Assistance

Unfortunately due to property loss from Hurricane Katrina (our house had 9 feet of floodwater), among other factors, my parents have been unable to help with the majority of my tuition despite FAFSA and the MIT Student Financial Services' determination that they should be able to foot the bill. As a consequence, going into my Junior year at MIT, I am already drowning in $80,000 of student loan debt. I have tried applying for scholarships such as the SMART scholarship and the Google Lime Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, but due to the state of the economy these programs have reduced funds and while I have been a finalist for both scholarships, I was not awarded a scholarship. I worked two jobs last semester for 11 hours/week yet this was barely enough to cover books and other fees. 

A Few Concluding Words

This is a long shot, but I am asking for donations, no matter how small, to help me start paying off this debt and the debt I anticipate accruing in paying for my senior year of college. As a future graduate from MIT, I have a bright future ahead of me despite this future being dimmed by the prospect of the lengthy and costly process of paying off my student debt. I am so thankful for how blessed I have been. I thank you for even reading this, and would be eternally grateful for any further blessings you would add through donating to my cause.