As an NYU student I learned to swim. Their alumni membership would allow me access to their chlorine free pool and continual swimming lessons. As part of my shoulder injury recovery, I am not allowed to do most exercises or even yoga poses for risk of injury, interestingly enough, I am recommended to swim. I cannot do that locally without a membership to a gym that has a pool. NYU gymnasium not only has a pool but also classes to build my confidence in the water, and water aerobics to help me gain my strength back. Also, Andrei could join as part of our household membership :)

Ladies, Gents, and non-binary friends, the time has come for A+A to learn to drive. This life skill has evaded us long enough, and with wheels come adventures near, far and everything in between.

Andrei has been exploring a career change. He has even begun taking intro coding courses at City. There's a prep course ($1,000) he wants to take that allows him to get accepted into the App Academy Bootcamp ($3,000 deposit, the rest of tuition paid after being employed). We are working towards making this work. Helps us get there faster, by donating to this great cause. Thank you infinitely.

Is 4,000 the magic number? Who knows, but I too, have begun exploring a career change since I deal with multiple chronic illnesses. There are two specific courses that I am interested in: one in copywriting, the other in design which both cost initially about 4,000. The wonderful thing is that both programs lead to internships. The writing program at City leads to job opportunities at a publishing house, and the design program at the New School also has opportunities at places like Google and other smaller tech firms. I know folks who have done both programs and are finding a lot of success in them. Since the fall, I have been exploring these options by freelancing editing jobs as an extension of my tutoring services. I have also taken up design programs online to familiarize myself with the software they use. Both processes have been quite exciting and fruitful. The money donated here will go towards one of those two programs. WHY?I have been looking at work from home options that I can do as I deal with my chronic health conditions. I don't qualify for disability or unemployment and living in NYC is expensive and requires that I have a steady income. Tutoring alone does not cover my expenses, nor does my part-time job at a local community college. So here comes the creative in me, trying to make the best of it all. This is an effort towards a potential job in the arts that allows me to make strides in areas that I love and deeply respect. Areas that foment my humanity and allow me some independence and freedom.

Simple. Andrei hasn't been home to Romania in over 10 years. His father couldn't be at our wedding. This trip would mean our ability to not only visit Romania, but also spend time in Europe, visiting his mom in London, and my favorite city in Europe, Barcelona.

If the other projects didn't seem like something you wanted to donate to, no worries, whatever you contribute, will be put to good use. Starting out as a married couple is expensive and quite daunting. Money donated to this cause will go towards expensive paper procedures, like a name change, and insurance premiums, and other stuff, that we anticipate but cannot name at the moment. We love you, infinitely.