Abir Mazumder

My Story

I am a first-generation college student who was born and raised in Bangladesh, a third world country. I immigrated to the United States only three years ago with my family, where my parents faced unemployment in one of the most expensive cities in America. The only jobs they could find in New York City were labor-intensive and took a toll on their health. So even though our house was in the cockroach-infested basement, I did my best to appreciate my parents’ hard-earned minimum wage. I perfected my GPA, and took care of my little sister who just started elementary school. I had seen my parents struggling to afford a better place. I knew I needed to get a part time job as my parent’s earnings would not be enough to afford a better housing. However, a part time job would mean I could not do any extracurriculars to prepare my college application. Thus, I faced the dilemma of choosing either one and took a huge risk to invest in my future. I worked resiliently until I became the Director of Engineering for my Robotics Team. I also became a self-taught drummer for my school. Then, during the summers, I took multiple jobs to assuage the guilt, regret, and uncertainty I felt during the school year. My hard work ultimately earned me the full-ride Posse Foundation Leadership Scholarship to Vanderbilt University. There were times when I couldn’t afford clothes for the winter, when I didn’t have money for food. Overcoming those challenges and coming to college will be my biggest achievement, but college isn’t the end of all struggles. As I prepared for college, my father developed liver problems and could no longer work. My mother is now the sole earner of the family. The stress is now inducing tension between my parents, creating an unhealthy environment for my sister. Despite my scholarship and new part-time job at Vanderbilt, our family is still struggling with the basic necessities: monthly rent, phone bills, food, transportation, and medical expenses. One full-time worker earning minimum wage is not enough to support a family of four. Birthday celebrations and trips to the mall with my friends are too much of a luxury and the cold basement that is our home continues to deteriorate both my parents’ health but it is all we can afford. With your support, I can complete my independence from my mother’s earnings so she can provide for my sister. I don’t want to burden my parents anymore. My parents came to this country so we could have a better life, and my little sister deserves a good childhood and an opportunity to thrive as a talented scholar. As the oldest son, I want to help my mother take care of my family.

Desired Item(s)

Books: $200

Computer upgrade: $500

Additional Requests:

Food/Clothing/Medications: $1800

Total Cost Needed: $2500 (with additional requests)

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