A Texas Tutoring Center in Austin, Texas - Giving Students and Parents More Choices

A Texas Tutoring Center in Austin, Texas - Giving Students and Parents More ChoicesA Texas Tutoring Center in Austin, Texas is a great place to be. The tutoring center has earned the name tutoring centers by giving people who are studying and are looking for a class or tutor an opportunity to find a tutor in Austin. The people who come to the tutoring center in Austin have more than enough things to do, as it is the city where there are plenty of things that are being done.The Texas tutoring center is just one of the many services provided by this tutoring center. It also has a campus that is located in the heart of downtown Austin. The campus is home to tutoring centers and agencies that offer child-care services to children and adults that are studying. Most of the classes are given on Saturdays, as this is when most of the students come.For parents, parents will be able to choose from the available classes offered by the tutoring center in Austin. It will be possible for them to c hoose from the various tutoring services that are available at the tutoring center. For those who are having difficulties in their child's studies, the tutoring center will be able to provide them with the help that they need. When it comes to the tutoring services offered by the tutoring center, one can make a choice that will be best for their needs.Parents can make it easier for their children to study. A parent can choose to make it easier for their child to study through tutoring. The tutoring center can be the right choice for their child's needs. It will help in teaching a child how to do things correctly.When it comes to tutoring, the Texas tutoring center has a wide variety of tutors to choose from. This way, students will have plenty of options to choose from. These tutors come from different parts of the world and each of them will have their own set of skills that they will teach the students. They will also help them improve their grades and their school performance.Par ents will have the choice of choosing the tutoring center of their choice. They can make it easy for their child to study by choosing the tutoring center that they want. This will give them more choices in regards to their child's needs and what will work best for them.If parents choose to go with tutoring centers, they will be able to give their child a more effective education. This way, they will be able to do better in their studies. It will also help in increasing their grades and helping them to get a better school performance.

Ask an Admissions Expert Joan DeSalvatore

Ask an Admissions Expert Joan DeSalvatore Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Joan DeSalvatore is the founder of college admissions consultancy College-Bound Advising Today. Joan previously served 17 years as an Assistant Dean at Columbia Universityand five years as the Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs at Lehigh Universitys College of Business and Economics. As an insider and a parent of three recent college graduates, Joan has unique awareness and understanding about the college application process. She earned her bachelors degree in Psychology from Barnard Collegeand her masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia Universitys Teachers College. How far ahead of time should a student begin working on his or her college application? Joan: This year the Common Application has already released the list of essay topics. That means you have the summer to begin thinking about and writing on one or more of those topics. Most colleges have their application ready by mid-August. The more progress you can make before the start of your senior year, the better. What are the best ways to go about selecting a terrific essay topic? Joan:Ideally, you want to find an essay topicthat resonates with you this will allow you to use this as an opportunity to reveal a part of your personality through the essay. I suggest that you write a brief draft essay on more than one topic. This can be helpful in two ways: Not every college will allow you to select your own topic. Since they may specify a topic that you have not prepared, drafting more than one will give you an edge. Beginning work on more than one topic will allow you to step back and compare your responses. Which one is more genuine and less forced? Which tells the better story? Which will give the reader greater insight into who you are? Are there any essay topics you get tired of seeing or would warn students to stay away from? Joan:I would rather not read about your mother being your personal hero or a family vacation. With that said, even those topics can serve as the basis of a good essayif it really means something to you and you have found a way to express that with depth and feeling. Beware of clichs in topic or wording, overuse of adjectives, and using too many words to describe simple things. What is the biggest mistake a student can make on a college application? Joan:Each college wants to know that you really want to enroll in their school. When there is an opportunity to mention particulars about that school, you should. Butbe aware that you have done that. So, when you go to use the same sort of comment in the application for another school, dont simply cut and paste. The biggest mistake you can make is forgetting to change those particulars. You could be a wonderful candidate for admission but if you mention how much you love the dorms at college A in an application for college B your chances of being admitted can be greatly reduced. What is the typical process an admissions officer goes through to evaluate applications? Joan:That is going depend on the type of college. For some of the larger state colleges that rely almost entirely on high school grades and standardized test scores (SAT/ACT), their process is fairly simple. The majority of colleges take into account all components of the application. However, by in large, they are still going to review the numbers GPA and test scores pretty early in the game. No matter how wonderful the essay and rsum of activities, most colleges want to know that you have the ability to do the work. Most schools assign their admissions officers to specific territories. That usually means that your regional representative will be the first to review your application. Their greater potential familiarity with your high school, the courses, the activities, the athletics, and the advisors helps them evaluate your application. The essay is the piece that gives them insight into you. They are looking to know if you are a fit for their college and if there is something about you that they have missed in the rest of the application. What do you think is the single most important thing a student should make sure they present in the best possible way on their application? Joan:The short answer is you! That is why we put so much emphasis on the essay. Another important piece of the application that is often neglected is the rsum portion. This is more than simply a list of employment; it is another opportunity for you to show more about your personality. How should students go about determining the culture of a university, and whether they would be a good fit? Joan:The best way to really learn about the culture of a school is to visit. While you visit, make sure that you visit the places where the students spend their free time, the lounge areas and eating places. Take the student-lead tour and ask the student questions about his or her activities: Where do you go to study? Where do you go/What do you do to have fun? What do you like best about this school? You can also visit your high schools guidance office to find out if any other students have attended the college. See if you can get in touch with one of them to get a sense of the place, too. Early-action, early-decision, binding/non-binding, regular decisions...With so many choices when applying, what do you recommend to students? Joan:Is there a college that you absolutely want to attend no matter what? If so, then apply early-decision even if it is binding. If your college list does not have one absolute #1, then I recommend regular decision for all. I do suggest that you aim to have all of your applications done and submitted as early in the school year as you can. Get them in and off of your mind before Halloween. That way you can get on with your life and have a great senior year. How important are grades and standardized test scores when admissions decisions are being made? Joan:Again, that depends on the school. Grades are always going to matter particularly when paired with the level of the class in which it was earned. Colleges want to know that you can handle their coursework and high school grades are really one of the few ways they have to gauge that. Standardized test scores are harder to generalize about. Some colleges are test-optional, which means that they have much less influence on the decision. For colleges that require tests, it depends on the policy at that particular school. What tips do you have for students asking their teachers for letters of recommendation? Joan:Find a teacher who really knows you preferably someone who not only likes you but has also seen the value in your work and participation. So, ask a teacher of your favorite subject or a teacher who has had you in his or her class and who has also been the advisor of a club of which you are a member. When you ask a teacher to write a recommendation you might also offer to provide them with information about yourself. See what they would like to know and write it out for them. Also, give them time to write it. Provide the teacher with all of the information he or she needs well before the deadline. Visit College-Bound Advising Today for more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

GCSE Poem analysis Praise Song for My Mother by Grace Nichols

GCSE Poem analysis Praise Song for My Mother by Grace Nichols Grace Nichols was born in Georgetown, the Caribbean country of Guyana and moved to the UK in the 1970s. Her poetry is inspired by her Caribbean heritage, folk tales, tradition and her move between cultures. We have written a GCSE poem analysis of Praise Song for My Mother by Grace Nichols. What is the poem about? A praise song is a traditional African form in several traditions, increasingly made relevant to Western world in recent decades, used to list and explore the attributes of a person.   There is an easily grasped relationship behind this one, which really invites a reader to consider their own relationship with their mother. Praise Song for My Mother by Grace Nichols You were water to me deep and bold and fathoming You were moon's eye to me pull and grained and mantling You were sunrise to me rise and warm and streaming You were the fishes red gill to me the flame tree's spread to me the crab's leg/the fried plantain smell replenishing replenishing Go to your wide futures, you said Overview The poem is written in the past tense, prompting a question.   When written, was the poet’s mother dead or simply so distant that the memory of what she once was had priority over what she still was?   But this means that either way, the poem is an exploration of memory and descriptive power. Form and structure The poem has five brief stanzas of uneven length, the first three regular, the fourth extended and the fifth very brief.   The lines themselves are not metrically regular, making this really a piece of free verse.   The poem is strongly repetitive but also has a strong shape on the page and when spoken aloud.     There is a real sense of growth as the lines increase in length, then contract again, something like waves on the sea. Language The poem is a collection of metaphors, each depicting the subject from a different point of view.   ‘Water’ is the easiest place to start â€" life-giving, flowing, liquid and expressive â€" and it prompts the poet to describe her mother with three words ‘deep and bold and fathoming’.   To call a person ‘deep’ may now have the sense of complexity or seriousness, but here it summons up deep sea water, ‘bold’ the braveness of waves.   ‘Fathoming’ is slightly nonsensical.   To fathom something is to sound it â€" to test its depth â€" but is the poet’s mother trying her own depth?   No â€" rather she is being fathoms deep.   She is active, not passive. The way the poet stretches the sense of this word is itself repeated.   ‘Mantling’ must be an action related to a ‘mantle’ or cloak, but how?   Did the mother wrap herself around her daughter in protection?   Did she clothe her daughter with her own resources, her own wealth, her own skills?   Nichols is very ambiguous with her language here. To be ‘rise’ is another of these tests.   The poet’s mother was, we are told, the rise that brought as much to her daughter as the sun rising in the morning, yet the exact manner of what that gift was and how it was brought is hidden from us, both by the inability of language to really express it and by the shield of privacy that the poet holds.   Yet she seems to let these go as the poem continues. The next images will all have very personal connotations, and perhaps that is the point.   The poem describes a generic feeling of awe, love and gratitude to a parent while keeping a little specific mystery.  The ‘fishes red gill’ seems to me to be another image of vitality, since the oxygen-rich gills quickly fade in colour once a fish has been taken out of the water.   The ‘flame-tree’s spread’ implies a degree of shelter, although an exotic one, and the ‘crab’s-leg’ a favourite, well-loved family treat.   I would interpret the / marking as an indication of quick movement â€" of one idea breaking in on another, and the image â€" or flavour â€" of fried plantain over-taking the poet’s imagination and demanding priority!   Even tastier than crab â€" even more precious â€" fried plantain!   And all of this is the mother’s habit of ‘replenishing’ â€" filling up her daughter â€" filling her up so full that even the word is repeated. Yet finally the mother’s greatest gift is the freedom she gives her daughter to leave and live her own life.   The ‘wide futures’ might well be outside traditional African or Caribbean heritage, yet however far the poet has travelled, and however far she has ended up from her mother, she has remained able to talk to her directly, privately, colourfully, humorously, and with love. Free verse - Poetry without a regular fixed pattern of metre or rhyme Metre - The pattern of stress, beat, rhythm or emphasis that is created by words in a sentence or line. Need an extra hand with some  English? Why not book a  GCSE English tutor  to come to your home from the  Tutorfair  website? For More GCSE poem analyses: Nettles, The Yellow Palm, My Last Duchess, and Medusa Try out our other Tutorfair blogs  to find more great GCSE resources New Maths 9-1 GCSE Five Strategies to improve Academic Performance Find this useful? Leave a comment.

Mike Rowes Big Break English Listening Exercise

Mike Rowes Big Break English Listening Exercise I actually heard this little excerpt on my favorite radio station, National Public Radio or NPR. This is a great resource to listen to interesting stories and regular news. NPR is like the United States version of the BBC. This is a really funny interview with Mike Rowe, former host of the popular show Dirty Jobs, talking about his first job on television.For Rowe, working at QVC, a television shopping network was his big break. Do you know what a big break means? See if you can answer this after you listen to the radio show.1. Where did he audition for the QVC? 2. What did have to do for the interview? 3. How much does the cat sack toy cost? 4. I _____ say that its a good idea but, its an idea. 5. How many times was he fired? 6. It was the perfect __________ ground for what would come many years later, with Dirty Jobs. 7. What is his whole career based on?What is your strangest experience with a job interview? Have you ever had a big break? What is the strangest job youve ever had?

Mind Over Matter How to Stop Translating in Your Head

Mind Over Matter How to Stop Translating in Your Head 3 Ways to Stop Translating in Your Head Its like grasping at straws at the beginning of learning a language.Youre trying to make sense of anything.Anything.The strings of sound coming at you are difficult to decipher.Been there, done that.Albeit exciting, theres a lot of confusion as you start out in a new language. You have to use every strategy available to you to break the code.Direct, or literal, translation is typically one of those strategies we employ. We take every word and filter it through our native language.Make no mistake, translating in your head is a habit that will prove to be incredibly helpful in the beginning. However, if you rely on it too much, itll burden you later on.Were going to take a good look at the whole process of mental translation and show you why it could be detrimental to your language learning experience if youre unable to get past it and start thinking  in your new language.Well take you through the different methods you can use to start quitting the habit and progress even further with your new language. Why You Should Stop Translating in Your HeadReal translation is accurately articulating a feeling or a concept in another language. Thats useful, of course.  It allows things like classical literature to be accessible to speakers of all languages.But thats not exactly what youre doing at this point in your language learning experience, if youre not currently a professional translator.What many language learners do in the beginning is closer to finding the words in their native language and then settling for the direct translation without considering the implications. For example, using ????? (??????) to mean see in Japanese.In this Japanese example, you have to consider that this is the honorific form of the verb. On a very basic level it does indeed mean to see, but thats not what native speakers are going to understand when you use it in regular conversation. When you start learning about a language on a deeper level, those direct translations you relied on wi ll quickly cease to be as helpful as they were in the beginning.You might be at that stage where youre still reasonably satisfied with your process and not too bothered by translating. Eventually, you might notice that all that translating is holding you back.To see why, think about the process thats taking place when you translate in your head as you read, speak or listen to foreign languages. The crux of the issue here is that there are far too many variables to consider.Because of all the differences that exist between languages (word order, verb tenses, cases, etc.), trying to go back and forth becomes cumbersome and unnecessary.Its tiring just thinking of the whole mental process where you hear or read a sentence, then try to internally match every word to the equivalent in your native tongue. The whole process ruins any reading or social experience youre having and its just exhausting.Its even more exhausting when you think of the elements that might prove to be more important to communication and understanding. In Mandarin, for example, theres pronunciation to consider, like ensuring you know the difference between ? (ma) â€"  mommy  and  ? (ma)  â€"  horse. (Wouldnt want to get those mixed up, would we?)You also have to consider the fact that not every word you come across is going to be completely translatable.Russian, for example, has a vocabulary famous for the number of words within it that simply cannot be accurately translated to English. ????? roughly translates to mean yearning or melancholy, but ask any native Russian speaker and theyll tell you that the English translation doesnt come close to conveying t???? in all its complexity and depth. Youre not going to learn how best to use it if youre always thinking about how it translates to your native tongue.3 Ways to Stop Translating in Your HeadFortunately, there are a multitude of ways for you to break out of that habit and were going to show you a few of the best methods. Hopefully some, if n ot all of these will work for you.Whatever solution you choose, remember that practicing with your foreign language a lot is necessary.Using a platform like FluentU will help accelerate the process of thinking in that language.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into language learning experiences. Once youve gotten enough exposure to natives speaking their language fluently, youll forget all about translating!1. AssociationThe first method you could try is image association. In the beginning of your language learning experience, youll probably find that you tend to associate new foreign words with the equivalent in your native tongue. Instead of allowing yourself to do that, try associating a word with a clear image or feeling instead. This technique has been proven to work better than simple translations.Instead of associating the Portuguese saudade  with the English word longing, try to really understand the feeling of missing someone or something that exists far away in time or space, if it exists at all. Instead of associating the words such as the Spanish word perro with the English dog, try actually picturing a dog instead.This simple change in your learning technique will aid you greatly when you start using what youve learned out in the real world. When a Spanish speaker says, un gran artículo (a great article), youll know what that means almost instantly because youll associate both gran and artículo with a feeling of greatness and an image of articles (particularly this lifesaver of an article!).When you start doing this, youll stop having to filter and immediately associate the word with a meaning.2. Use sticky notes to your advantageTo help with this, a second method and a classic, is to stick sticky notes on everything around you! Okaymaybe not everything per se. Just plant a sticky note on objects you want to learn the foreign name of.You can make your own or you can u se the wonderful Vocabulary Stickers , which has the labels already made for you!If youre learning Italian, youll want a sticky note with frigo or il  frigorifero on youryou guessed itâ€"fridge! Whenever you see that word out in the world, youll think of that object and know what it means.and that youll have to go grocery shopping soon.You can take it even further after youre confident with basic nouns and start adding things like adjectives, qualifiers, prepositional phrases or entire sentences, like a soft couch, a very long table or I put the milk in the fridge.This is a great method to use in conjunction with the others, especially if youre more of a visual learner and need a way to bridge the gap between what you read in textbooks and on apps with what you see in the real world.When you repeat the words you see while looking at the objects theyre attached to, youll start to slowly wean yourself off of having to use your native language, because those foreign words youre trying to learn will be attached to something you can easily visualize.3. Constant internal narrationThis method is especially great for those who can easily understand what everyone is saying but seem to hit a mental block when it comes to expressing themselves. When you hear those foreign words, you seem to understand them but when the time comes for you to talk, youre at a loss and you resort back to translating to make sure you find what you believe to be the right words.If thats you, you definitely need to practice actually speaking without too many pauses. You can do it. After all, you already know the right words, clearly. One of the best ways to practice is by narrating your every action. You can start by being literal then progress by describing what you do, what you see, hear and feel in more detail.After a while, when the time comes for you to actually have a conversation, youll find that youre able to find the right words without ever having to really consider what they mean in your native tongue.Maybe you come across something you genuinely dont know how to describe without resorting back to your native language. Theres a solution that doesnt require you to cheat like that. Monolingual dictionaries  are a fantastic way of learning without translating. For example, theres Vocabulary.com for English, Duden.de for German, Zdic.net for Mandarin and many more.There are a lot to choose from, and best of all, they come as apps now! Theyre also a great way of gauging your progress. The more clear a definition is to you, the more fluent youve become.The best way to stop translating is to surround yourself completely with the language if you can. Youll stop translating over time as you grow accustomed to foreign words. These methods will help you do just that if youre unable to travel or engage with a community of native speakers. Theres always a way.It takes timeAs we said before, translating in your head isnt bad. In fact, when youre just starting to learn a for eign language, your habit of mental translation is actually beneficial.It helps you flesh out your vocabulary and it helps you identify weak areas.If youre seemingly fluent in casual conversation but find that you have to translate internally when youre talking about something like science, youll know what you have to work on.Weve given you a few methods here from image association and sticky notes to narration and immersion but the one thing you have to remember is that no matter what you do, language learning as a process takes time.One final solution to this problem is to just let it run its course.Sooner or later, as long as you keep studying and trying, youll stop translating. Its inevitable. And One More ThingWant to get a closer look at FluentU?FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.

How do I find a teaching job abroad

How do I find a teaching job abroad Teaching abroad can be a very rewarding experience. You’re placed outside of your comfort zone -- and often times, teaching in a foreign country where students speak a different language. You’ll learn things about yourself and grow as an educator, too. Countless teachers have told us that they are able to take what they’ve learned as educators abroad back to their home country. (Read more about this on our blog post about Angela and how teaching in Kazakhstan helped her succeed in the American classroom.) On top of that, you’ll find that you’ll have some amazing opportunities to travel as well. Teaching abroad sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? “How do I find a teaching job abroad?” you may ask. Here are the key steps that you should take to find a teaching job abroad: Understand what teaching jobs you qualify for, based on your qualifications. You will need a Bachelor’s Degree at the minimum to teach. If you have a Bachelor’s Degree along with a valid teaching license issued by your regional teacher licensing authority, you will have a lot more options and can teach in certain regions including the Middle East. If you don’t have a teaching license, you can still teach! Be sure to check the requirements of each job posting, as an ESL certificate, such as a TEFL certificate, may be required. Chances are, you’ll be well-positioned to teach in Asian countries such as China, South Korea, and Thailand, after you have obtained your TEFL certification. Some positions may also need post-qualification teaching experience as well, but any teaching-related experience is a plus. Research countries that interest you and make a list of top 5 countries. Now that you have a general sense of where you can go based on your educational background, do a little bit of research to find where specifically you’d like to go to teach abroad. Perhaps you have always wanted to travel to a specific country or you have visited a country in the past and loved it. There can be many reasons for why you want to teach in a particular country. Visit our “destinations” map to learn a bit more about the different countries and their culture and notable geographical information. Prepare your resume or CV and gather your certifications. If you haven’t already, make sure your resume is up to date and highlights all your relevant experience and education. Check out this webinar recording on how to complete your teacher resume. Register for a Teach Away account. If you haven’t already, applying for teaching positions through Teach Away is more reliable than flying out to a foreign country and applying for jobs when you’re there.This way, you’re able to apply from the comfort of your home -- definitely less stressful than moving yourself and your whole family to a foreign country and trying to find a job! Register for a Teach Away account here and make sure you upload your resume you prepared in step 3 and carefully fill out all your information. You’ll want to take at least 30 minutes to ensure you have added everything. Search for teaching positions in your desired country and click “apply” on the jobs that interest you and that you qualify for. Use our job board and the filter functions to find the right jobs for you. Make sure you read the job posting to see if you qualify for the position before clicking “apply”. Get ready for your interviews. If you’re a candidate of interest, one of our placement coordinators will be in touch with you for a pre-screen interview conducted over phone or video call. Like any job interview, be sure to prepare so you can convey your answers confidently. If things go smoothly, you’ll advance to a second round of interviews, either virtually again, or in-person. Make sure you prepare for this interview too. Get that job offer! At this point, you may be offered that teaching job overseas! Your Teach Away placement coordinator will liaise with you to prepare you before your big move.

$100,000 in Scholarships Awarded to 10 Bright Students Through GoFundMe Program

$100,000 in Scholarships Awarded to 10 Bright Students Through GoFundMe Program Image via Pexels In a world where college tuition is at some of its highest rates ever and more college students are finding it increasingly difficult to pay off their student loans, a bit of good news in the field can be encouraging. On October 20, 2016, GoFundMe, the largest social fundraising platform in the world, announced that it was giving away $100,00 in educational scholarships to 10 promising young men and women. Each student received $10,000 to put toward their college expenses, according to a recent press release. Last month, GoFundMe shared details about the first scholarship program and revealed how parents, teachers, and students have turned to the crowd funding site to help realize their college dreams. All in all, it has been reported that over $100 million has been raised for college tuition and related educational expenses on the site. Qualifying for the scholarship was simple. Each student created a campaign page on the site to share their stories with potential contributors. Some of those stories included an undercurrent of challenges involving loss, grief, abandonment, sickness, and being the first in their family to go to college. Using the hashtag #GFMScholarship, each student shared what winning the scholarship would mean to them and how it would help them achieve their goals. In only a week’s time, over $200,000 had been raised to go towards college expenses. Image via Odyssey Rob Solomon, the CEO of GoFundMe, said in the release, “We’re proud and excited to help these remarkable, determined students achieve their educational dreams. All of us here have been touched by the stories shared by the scholarship winners, and we can’t wait to see how they’ll continue to give back to their communities.” The 10 GoFundMe scholarship winners come from a variety of backgrounds. From Aubrianna, who lost her father to cancer and became homeless with her mother to Sandy, who was abandoned by her mother at age six. From Mayia, who was diagnosed with OCD and Tourette’s as a young child to Alan, who turned away from gang life to be a bright student. Each of these students have one thing in common: receiving the best college education possible. This GoFundMe scholarship helps them get one step closer to reaching their dreams. Here are the winners of the 2016 GoFundMe Scholarship program: Born in the Philippines, Bezaleel (Bez) Balan, grew up in Guam. Her family moved to San Francisco and worked many odd jobs to help her pay for her undergraduate studies. She is now in her final year of graduate school at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. Along with working multiple jobs, she has designed an elementary school in Sudan and orphanages in Haiti. Amir Fluellen’s father has been incarcerated for a long time. Raised primarily by his mother who recovered from cancer, he will start his college experience at Salisbury University. The financial burden that his mother’s illness placed on the family limited their ability to help him pay for college and thus he turned to GoFundMe to reach his goal. As a kid, Alan Gonez loved school but after getting involved with a gang and grieving the loss of his friends to gang violence, he chose to turn his life around. He raised his GPA from 1.8 to 3.8 during high school and then obtained a 4.0 and made the Dean’s List at Cerritos Community College. He is currently attending UCLA and giving back to his community. Moving from Mexico to America at the age of 6 only to be abandoned by her mother, Sandy Gonzalez knows too well the fight for immigrants to become permanent citizens. Her grandmother worked hard to become her legal guardian. Sandy is the first person in her family to attend college. In three years she will be able to apply for U.S. citizenship and plans to obtain a PhD in Psychology. As a single mother, Emettra Nelson is fighting to complete her degree in agriculture, food and natural resources at Michigan State. With only 19 credit hours to go, her financial aid decreased and she turned to GoFundMe to help her reach her goal. After her father died of bone cancer while she was in the second grade, Aubriana Mency and her mother were left homeless. Without the stability of home, Mency promised her parents she would work hard in school. She received a scholarship from Hampshire that will pay her first full year. Pauline Muturi entered the U.S. from East Africa. She is currently studying at Florida State University. While she works two jobs and works hard to maintain her good GPA, she worries whether she will be able to complete her studies as she is not eligible for federal student aid. Diagnosed with Tourette’s and OCD in the 3rd grade, Mayia Vranas fought through her disability to maintain straight As. She is now studying physics at UC Berkeley. While she cannot maintain a job and go to school, she will need to take an extra semester of courses and she plans to receive her PhD in the same field. Excited to attend Virginia Tech this fall, honor student Alyssa Wray always placed a high importance on her education. But when her sister contracted a flesh-eating bacterial infection, her family’s focus turned to helping her sister recovery. With medical bills mounting, Alyssa turned to GoFundMe to help her with the college’s first year tuition. A childhood emergency in which he was airlifted from his remote Navajo reservation helped Thayne Yazzie realize he wanted to dedicate his life to giving the Navajo Nation access to healthcare. He graduated from Western Washington University, moved back home to teach, and is now attending Eastern New Mexico University working towards his flight certification.