Alina our May recipient was planning on attending college in the US until her family was forced to use all their funds including Alina’s school money to evacuate her homeland. A professor of the school she was supposed to attend connected with Trace of Hope and other organizations to help Alina realize her dream— and through his persistence for her—that dream is now a reality.

Alina is now a freshman and has declared Advertising as her major so she can reach out and help others. Alina shared with us that this passion not only comes from her desire to repay all the kindness and support she received when her family fled the Ukraine, but also rom her previous work at Teenergizer (https://teenergizer.org/en/who-we-are/) “I know from personal experience that advertising can help others. At Teenergizer we popularized mental health topics among young people through our social media as well as provided free psychological support for teens and young adults. I also have received so much support, and while this doesn’t erase all the pain, it does give me hope and a reason to live. It is this reason I want to help others as I know firsthand how important it is to support those in need. I’m eternally grateful to Trace of Hope for your kind gesture. You have never seen me, but still, you decided to help me, a person from the other side of the world and you don’t let me forget that the world supports us, and we are not alone. That is what I want to do for others.”

You are not Alina and we are honored to have helped you. Want to help other students like Alina who want to make a difference? Click below and donate to a deserving student today!