This Toronto Student's GoFundMe Blew Up & She Can Now Afford Her Dream School

Almeera Khalid, a recent University of Toronto graduate, will be able to attend the University of Oxford thanks to the outpour of support from her community on GoFundMe.

Khalid's GoFundMe has raised $67,086 for her tuition to attend Oxford University at the time of publication — over $18,000 more than her initial goal of $49,000.

The student was accepted into Oxford for an MSc in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies but without financial support, she couldn't afford to go and so after a bit of convincing from her friends and mentors she created a GoFundMe.

"When I got the news that I had been accepted, I was elated but the reality sunk in that I will not be able to go unless I receive financial support. Due to the timing of my offer, most scholarship applications were long overdue and the ones that still existed, I didn't qualify for," reads Khalid's GoFundMe.

"I have reached out to community organizations that I've supported, tried to take on additional short-term work, and have reached out to the University to see if there were supports in place for students like me. Unfortunately I am finding that it is much more difficult to obtain financial support and I have hit a dead end."

Khalid says studying at Oxford will "change my life"

Khalid is a first-generation student and she has a strong connection to immigrant migration as her experiences have propelled her towards her studies.

"As a young Pakistani woman that has had a prolonged and difficult migration experience, my lived experiences serve as my motivation to study this topic. As the eldest daughter, taking care of my family has always been the utmost priority and I have balanced that during work and school. Unfortunately, that means not having the same financial support that most of my peers had."

During her last year at U of T for her undergrad in a double major in Ethics, Society & Law and Criminology & Socio-Legal Studies with a minor in Political Science, she financed herself by working more than 35 hours a week in part-time jobs.

"I want to attend the University of Oxford because I do not want to just generically make the world a better place, I want to understand why international foreign and domestic policies have gaps, especially around migrants, refugees and detention."

"Studying Refugee and Forced Migration Studies at Oxford University would open doors to unparalleled opportunities that I otherwise would not have access to. It would change my life."

With her GoFundMeGoal more than achieved, Khalid will be able to make that dream a reality.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for donating, sharing and sending me words of encouragement. You all have made it possible for me to attend my dream university. I am very thankful that we raised the full amount!"