Hello, and thank you for reading my story.

I grew up without a father, raised solely by my strong and loving single mother who worked tirelessly to support our family. At 17, with her support, I moved alone from South Korea to New York to pursue my dream of studying Illustration at art school. Living independently without family in the U.S., I worked hard through my freshman year.

Right before final exams in my second semester, around 2 AM, I was abducted by a stranger while walking back to my dorm from Koreatown. Because I lived alone, I had a rule to always text my friends when I arrived home safely each night. That night, when I didn't text, a close friend noticed something was wrong, tracked my location, and immediately alerted the police.

Thanks to that quick action, I was miraculously rescued from a horrifying situation. It was only after steping out of the police car at the precinct that I realized where I had been brought to—Harlem. The shock and fear of that night completely overwhelmed me.

The severe trauma forced me to fly back to South Korea as soon as finals ended. For the past three years, I have struggled with severe PTSD, panic disorder, depression, and anxiety. Fear kept me indoors and isolated, making it impossible for me to work or build savings during my recovery. My mother worked hard alone, but managing my treatment and our living expenses put a heavy strain on us.

Now, after years of healing, I am gathering the courage to step forward again. My dream of becoming an illustrator remains alive, and I desperately want to return to school in New York to finish my education and rebuild my life.

Over the past year, I have worked as hard as I could to prepare, but the costs for tuition, safe housing in New York, and initial relocation remain far beyond what my family can manage.

Your support will be transparently used for:

- Tuition and academic expenses to finish my Illustration BFA degree

- Safe housing and initial relocation costs in New York

- Continued medical and mental health support as I transition back

Every contribution no matter how small or simply sharing this page means the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me take my life back and pursue my dream.