Emilè Yanez has done everything right — and then some.

She began college in Fall 2021 with determination, a strong work ethic, and the support of Athena’s Warehouse. Trying not to become a burden, she quietly decided to try carrying the financial weight herself. She worked part-time, paid her tuition, covered books, and managed credit card debt — all while staying enrolled full-time .

Then the unimaginable happened…

In late 2023, Emilè’s fiancé Luis experienced a severe mental health crisis after learning that his father had been kidnapped and tortured by the Venezuelan regime they fled in 2018. Luis attempted to take his life and spent a week in inpatient care. Emilè withdrew from school to care for him during his recovery .

Shortly after, Emilè learned she was pregnant.

Instead of giving up, she leaned in. She returned to full-time classes and full-time work while pregnant — attending OB appointments, studying late into the night, and pushing through exhaustion because she was determined to build a future for her family. Despite her efforts, her car was repossessed, and medical bills mounted. Her mother even sold her only car to help Emilè pay off an $8,000 school balance so she could stay enrolled .

Emilè worked until the very day her daughter, Alaska, was born on September 10, 2024. She then stopped working to care for her newborn because childcare costs were higher than her income. Through sacrifice and resilience, Emilè paid off nearly all her school debt and is now eligible to register for her final year — her senior year.

There’s just one barrier left.

Because of tuition increases, immigration status restrictions, and the lack of a legal co-signer, Emilè has been denied student loans and faces an out-of-pocket cost of approximately $4,500 per semester — a hurdle she cannot clear alone.

That’s where we come in.

This campaign is not charity — it’s a bridge.

A bridge between everything Emilè has already survived and the future she is working so hard to build. A bridge between resilience and reward. A bridge between “almost there” and “I made it.”

By raising $5,000, we can cover Emilè’s final semester, lift the financial weight from her shoulders, and allow her to graduate — not just for herself, but for her daughter, her family, and the next chapter of her life.

Let’s help her finish what she started.

Bridge to Finish What She Started

By Athena's Warehouse

Bridge to Finish What She Started

Help Emile cross the finish line to her college degree.

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