Single mom who couldn’t afford to take NASA internship saved by internet donations

By Blue Telusma

·May 20, 2019

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A Georgia State University student is going to be able to follow her dreams thanks to the kindness of her community and the internet.

According to The New York Times, after facing some financial setbacks, India Jackson was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to attend NASA’s highly respected summer internship program.

“We choose to become scientists to make history,” said India Jackson, a Ph.D. candidate and single mother who is headed to NASA for a summer internship https://t.co/hytaoZKOGP

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) May 19, 2019

Jackson, a single mother studying for her Ph.D. in physics at Georgia State University, has always been infatuated with STEM. But a lack of funding for travel and housing put her plans to spend the summer at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston to research solar flares and their effect on astronauts in serious jeopardy.

While NASA does provide a stipend, unfortunately, the amount designated wouldn’t cover the cost of other expenses for her and her daughter. When Jackson’s cousin Dasha Fuller, found out what was going on, she immediately set up a GoFundMe campaign.

“This is a lifelong dream of hers and a long time coming and I am very proud of her. Unfortunately, she is unable to attend. India is a single mother and a struggling graduate student, so money is tight,” the page reads. “You must have money in order to get ahead in this country. She worked hard for this opportunity and I don’t want to see all of her lifelong work gone to waste due to financial hardship.”

To the family’ surprise, within 24 hours, the campaign raised $8,510 — well over their goal of $8,000.

“People think I am, like, some valedictorian,” Jackson told the Times. “No, I’m not. I am just driven and ambitious.”

“We choose to become scientists to make history,” she added. “Not money.”