My name is Kate, I'm nineteen, and I'm a student at the University of Pittsburgh. I worked extremely hard in high school and managed to earn a 4.1 GPA. In College, I made the Dean's List for academic excellence during both the fall and spring semester.



Unfortunately, a week before my first year of college started, my father went through my mail and found out that I am gay. My family, including extended family, is extremely homophobic. After they found out, my parents cut me off financially and I am no longer living with them. They are both unwilling and unable to cosign loans on my behalf. I have searched extensively, but I have been unable to find any loans which don't require a cosigner.



Due to my inability to cover an entire year of tuition, I have decided to spend the fall semester at a community college in the area I am currently living. I have some money saved up from my summer job and a $6500 school loan which will be used toward the second semester, but I still need about $15,000 on top of that in order to make it through this school year. I'm one of three people renting a house for the year with a monthly rent, and I also need to have money for food. I have asthma and allergies which require several medications monthly in order to maintain my health. Most of the money I make at work is going toward rent for this semester and my classes at the community college.



Going to Pitt is a dream of mine and I couldn't bear the thought of not being able to stay there. I am majoring in English and History and minoring in German with the hope of becoming a novelist. I will be immensly grateful if your contributions allow me to stay at Pitt. I'm praying every day for a miracle to help make this possible.

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