Deaf News: Crowd-funding campaign launched to help gifted deaf student go to university

Posted on October 9, 2015 by



Sam Garcia is 19 and is an academically gifted deaf student from Brazil. He was born deaf and has no hearing in one ear and limited hearing in the other. Sam currently lives in Greenwich in SE London with his parents.

Sam has an offer to study Biomedical Science at the University of Westminster but, unfortunately, he can’t currently take up his place because he doesn’t have the correct visa to access a student loan to cover his fees and to fund a note taker. 

unnamed

To help raise the funds to cover the cost of his university placement, Sam’s teacher (at Shooters Hill Campus in SE London) Tony Pike has started a GoFundMe page with a target of 15k. They’ve already raised around £1500.

Tony said:

“Sam is a highly talented Scientist and has earned the right to study at university to fulfil his dreams. 

“Sam left Brazil to come to the UK 10 years ago and has been studying BTEC Applied Science for the past 3 years at Shooters Hill Post 16 Campus, in Woolwich, South East London. In the history of the Campus, no other deaf student has managed to secure a place at university to study science. So we would all, very much, like to help Sam to be the first!”

Sam said:

“When I was a child I used to be really curious about everything. I kept asking so many questions about why things happen and that really started my interest in Science. I have worked so hard to reach this point that I’m gutted to think I won’t be able to take up the place I have earnt. I would be so grateful if anyone out there is able to help.”

unnamed (2)The funds Sam needs will cover the following:

– University tuition fees (Overseas rate) £12k per year

– Additional funds in place of Disabled Student Allowance

– Cost of a note taker to assist Sam in his studies

Dr Terry Riley OBE, Chair of the British Deaf Association said:

“We wish Sam all the very best in securing a place at university to study Science. Deaf children have the same aspirations as their hearing peers, they can and should aim for the sky. The only difference is they cannot hear.  We now have deaf Doctors, PHD’s, CEO’s and business entrepreneurs. One of our key goals at the BDA is to ensure that the younger Deaf generation cultivate similar opportunities to hearing students.”

 

To donate to the ‘Help us send Sam to Uni’ GoFundMe page, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/SamUniFund.

 


Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:



The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf  journalist,  screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.

Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.

Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.

The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:

Posted in: deaf news