My name is Antoniya, an Eastern European girl, devoted to earning a university degree to help the environment.
Despite many financial burdens and family hardships, I earned admission to one of the world’s top universities - University College London. By pursuing a Master’s degree in Climate Change Policy and Politics, I aspire to help communities around the globe live on a cleaner and safer planet. I have worked hard to save up and secure my future, but a financial gap still stands in my way, which I need to raise funds for by July 2026 to start my studies.
I spent a long time contemplating whether to create this fundraiser, as I’ve never publicly admitted the financial challenges I face in accessing education. I am reaching out to kindly and humbly ask for your help at this critical moment as I struggle to make my dream come true. I would be grateful for every single donation, no matter the amount, as I stay hopeful in the strength and compassion of community.
Despite feeling vulnerable, I want to share my story with you and help you understand my path towards higher education:
Being raised in a low-income household in the small town of Vidin, one of the most impoverished regions of Bulgaria, I grew up determined to challenge the limits of my circumstances. Through my studies, I wish to offer solutions to the environmental problems I’ve observed and experienced since childhood.
In 2025, I became the first person in my lineage to not only attain a university diploma but to complete two bachelor's degrees simultaneously (Journalism & Political Science), along with a minor (Spanish Language & Culture), in the span of four years. I devoted myself to my studies while working, along with volunteering in orphanages, retirement homes, and on environmental projects in my community.
My mother played a pivotal role in my life as my main caretaker. After enduring years of unreported physical and emotional abuse in a financially dependent relationship, my mom finalized her separation from my father during my final year of high school. This new reality left us with a single, unstable source of income at a pivotal moment in my academic journey.
After using our savings to cover the first year of my studies, I was determined to embrace this academic opportunity without placing additional financial burdens on her. To do so, I worked multiple jobs and took overtime hours to earn money for tuition fees, food, and housing. While this financial responsibility remains, I am determined to continue my academic journey at University College London.
However, given my family’s ongoing financial struggles, pursuing a Master’s degree without external support is not financially possible for me. Securing funding would allow me to fully commit to this opportunity and build on the progress I have made so far.
Your donations would help me pay my tuition fee deposit, visa deposit, secure housing, and cover food costs. Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on my story, I sincerely appreciate it! Your support means everything, and I am immensely grateful for you!
