Upper-sixth-form students Michael Jovan Anthony ‘MJ’ Forbes and Yashieka Fearon are using GoFundMe to pursue their dreams of higher education, and with donations coming in, these aspirations now have the possibility of becoming a reality.
A student of Manchester High School, Fearon, who received nine grade ones at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level and four grades ones and a two in Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), began her college application process in December of 2019, applying to more than 20 colleges and universities, including the Adelphi, Hofstra, Clark Atlanta, and Tuskegee universities.
She was accepted into all and received a full-tuition scholarship for most but notes that Howard University, one of the top historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States, was her “first choice”.
Fearon’s campaign was created on May 13 and, up to press time, had raised US$16,424 of the US$21,990 goal through more than 500 donors.
Forbes, a student at Glenmuir High School who received 11 grade ones in CSEC and four grade ones and a two in CAPE, began applying to university in January of this year.