Beating the Odds

When Danayit Rezene, a Baylor senior, was eight, she realized she loved taking care of people. "When one of my friends would get hurt, I'd be the one who would run and get the Band-Aid and take care of everyone," she explained.

Danayit was diligently pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse-working at Communities in Schools, interning at the local hospital and enrolled in 18 hours of classes--when unexpected life events brought everything to a halt.

In March, Danayit's little brother was shot and hospitalized for a month. Time stood still. Until then, Danayit had strategically planned every hour of her day so that she could earn enough money to pay bills while still maintaining an excellent GPA, but in an instant that didn't matter.

She dropped everything for a while--stopped working, stopped going to school--unable to focus on anything but her family.

Eventually, Danayit returned to school, work and her internship, but her family still suffered from financial strain due to the accident. And by November, she did not have enough money for rent, let alone electricity. With no other options, Danayit applied for assistance from the Parents League Student Emergency Fund.

"Receiving the help has made a big difference. I can breathe now. It's a load taken off my shoulders," Danayit said. "I've learned firsthand how important it is to have people in your life who will help. I really want to have that influence in somebody else's life like there was for me."

When Danayit did not know where else to turn, the Student Emergency Fund provided her with the support she needed to keep pursuing her dreams. In addition to the Student Emergency Fund, students are consistently impacted by the Parents Fund through the Parents League Endowed Scholarship Fund, Library Excellence Fund and Student Life Excellence Fund.

Learn how you can support the Parents League Student Emergency Fund and empower students like Danayit.