When Brianna Moran, AS19, was a student at UD, her journey to graduation was more difficult than most.

A first-generation college student driven to be the first in her family to graduate, she paid her own tuition and living costs by working two jobs. Moran was successfully making ends meet until May 2018, her junior year, when she tore three major ligaments in her knee after a bad fall. When her insurance lapsed over the summer, medical bills quickly multiplied. Devastated and unsure how she was going to afford to return in the fall, she began desperately reaching out to different UD offices in search of any kind of financial assistance. Eventually, her search brought her to Adam Cantley, dean of students, who was able to offer her support through the UD Student Crisis Fund.

“Right before I learned of the Student Crisis Fund, my mom and I had just accepted that I wasn’t going to be able to attend UD in the fall, and I wasn’t going to graduate,” explains Moran. “We had come to terms with that fact, but then when Adam told us I didn’t need to withdraw because there was funding available, we were both so incredibly relieved.”

The Student Crisis Fund provides financial assistance for students experiencing an unexpected challenge such as a natural disaster, death of a parent, or in Moran’s case, a personal injury. The Fund helped cover some of her medical costs and subsidized her loss of income.

“My mom works hard just to maintain our household bills,” says Moran. “After my injury, I didn’t want her to have to worry about me financially. The Student Crisis Fund covered part of my out of pocket medical bills, my books for the fall and some costs for the fall semester.”

As she recovered with the help of physical therapy, she began working her two jobs again—balancing work, school, physical therapy and helping her family at home. She graduated in May 2019 with degrees in psychology and Spanish and is now pursuing a career as a social worker for inner city youth. She knows that she could not be where she is today without the Student Crisis Fund and the generosity of those who contribute to it each year.

“Thank you to those who support this fund because, honestly, if I didn’t have the help, I probably wouldn’t have received a degree,” reflects Moran. “This experience has really taught me how to find hope in the little things. I’ve learned there’s not just one way to do things. If things don’t work out then you can’t lose hope, you just have to find a different way.”

Learn more about the Student Crisis Fund and how it helps students like Moran.