{"id":23632,"date":"2015-06-01T02:00:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T06:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=23632"},"modified":"2015-06-01T11:50:50","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T15:50:50","slug":"how-the-internet-is-helping-florida-students-pay-for-their-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2015\/06\/01\/how-the-internet-is-helping-florida-students-pay-for-their-education\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Internet Is Helping Florida Students Pay For Their Education"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ashley<\/a>

John O'Connor \/ StateImpact Florida<\/p>

Ashley Jean has enrolled in a global studies program at Long Island University. Now she's trying to raise money to help pay for travel costs.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ashley Jean is graduating from Miami\u2019s iPrep Academy this week. And then she\u2019s planning to travel the world.<\/p>\n

Jean will start a global studies program through Long Island University that will eventually take her to places like Costa Rica, Australia, Bali and Spain.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of plane tickets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want money to be a reason why I can\u2019t change my life,\u201d Jean says, \u201cso I have to work hard to do what I can to get this program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like a growing number of college students, Jean is turning to crowdfunding sites to help her raise money for college. The sites let users search by location or topic and donate directly to causes they like.<\/p>\n

Jean is using a gofundme page to help her raise money for school<\/a>. She\u2019s set a goal of $2,200 to pay for tickets, visas, health insurance and other expenses of studying abroad.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a fraction of the total cost of the program \u2013 but every bit helps. She says gofundme lets her make the pitch her way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put orange because that\u2019s my favorite color,\u201d she says of her page. \u201cUsually the photo or video it usually enhances — they require you to have a photo because it makes it [easier] for you to get more money and stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

You might have heard of crowdfunding after people donated more than $800,000 to a controversial Indiana pizzeria<\/a> at the center of the state\u2019s same-sex marriage debate.<\/p>\n

But crowdfunding also lets the warm and fuzzy side of the Internet shine.<\/p>\n

Shippensburg, Penn., residents raised more than $5,000 to send a handicapped Steelers superfan to a game<\/a> after he was assaulted for wearing team gear.<\/p>\n

Indiegogo Life<\/a> offers a few tips for people looking to raise money: tell your story; who you\u2019re helping, whether that\u2019s yourself, someone you love \u2013 or even a stranger; how much you want to raise; and where the money is going.<\/p>\n

As states cut support for higher education during the Great Recession, many colleges increased tuition. Now crowdfunding allows students to pass along rising tuition and other costs to strangers.<\/p>\n

\"Ashley<\/a>

Courtesy of Ashley Jean<\/p>

Ashley Jean traveled to Nicaragua and Cuba last year. It's why she wanted to enroll in a global studies program.<\/p><\/div>\n

More than half of Florida\u2019s college students graduated with debt in 2013, according to data gathered by The Institute for College Access and Success.\u00a0And those student loans were equal to the cost of a nice car — an average of $24,000 per student.
\nStudents like Jean have used crowdfunding to raise more than $26 million so far. And that\u2019s just on gofundme. Other sites include Indiegogo Life, Pigit, Zerobound and others.<\/p>\n

Jean says she\u2019s thinking a lot about how much debt she\u2019ll have when she graduates — $75,000 to $80,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of money, but I feel like with the career path that I\u2019m trying to take, I\u2019ll be able to, like, pay it off,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It starts with her study abroad program. Every little bit she can raise through crowdfunding helps.<\/p>\n

Last year, Jean raised money to travel to Nicaragua and Cuba through her network of friends. She says crowdfunding sites make it easier to target both friends on Facebook and total strangers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told somebody and their mom donated,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then there was another person who donated \u2013 I don\u2019t know who they are, but they donated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like this is generally a safer way to do it, because the thing with, like, physical money, is, like, there\u2019s a lot of criticism. Where\u2019s that going? You\u2019re just taking my money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orlando resident Duresny\u00a0Nemorin has already graduated from Florida A & M University, but she\u2019s running into a catch-22 many new grads face.<\/p>\n

\u201cEither they want you to work for free,\u201d she says, \u201cor they say you don\u2019t have enough experience. It is discouraging… you do want to walk away, but I refuse to.\u201d<\/p>\n