short & Sweet
Ello there! I'm aiming to raise £18,000 to study a BA in History & International Relations at Royal Holloway! The minimum amount I must raise is £4,500 by September in order to enroll!
I am also pushing for more representation of ethnic minority groups through art such as film and writing. I want to study at University in order to learn and bring attention to so called alternative histories, I'll dig deep into history in return for you digging deep or shallowly into your generous pockets!
Who is this wench?
- My name is Aliyah Hasinah Holder, I'm soon to be fresh off my gap year, which I have spent as a Digital Marketing Apprentice for the social enterprise Beatfreeks! I'm currently a young producer working with the Poetry Society & the Southbank Centre for National Poetry Day Live 2015.
- I am an Artivist, of the poetic and event production kind who would love for my degree to be a stepping stone to help me create positive change and raise social awareness about the importance of representation for diverse audiences!
- For religious reasons I am prohibited from taking out a tuition fee loan due to the incurrence of interest and would in the long run like to draw attention to this financial anomaly and help those in my current financial situation once I've completed my BA.
- I also happen to be a political writer for a Birmingham based online magazine (when I get the time to write) called NUBI Magazine, to find out more about why I think representation matters so much clicketh here!
Why HISTORY & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS?
I don't tend to share my dreams with many people so count yourself lucky, let's just say it all started with Disney's Pocahontas, a World history encyclopedia and a straight talking artistic Aunt sometime around the age of 7.
- My homeschooling experience up until year 8 meant I had tons of time to watch Pocahontas on repeat, hear oral histories, poetry and plays from my arty aunt and become a super young independent learner, literally eating books and history encyclopedias. I've always thrived when learning and University has always seemed a distant dream for someone of my low income familial background. However, my unconditional offers convinced me otherwise.
- I'm passionate to make a change: The representation or lack of therein of those of similar backgrounds as myself in television, popular culture, literature, cinema and media coverage has always been an issue I've vocally addressed. A lack of diverse programming and narratives does not allow for the complexities of life's intersections to be shown instead it reinforces colonial imperialism and a rigidity of stereotypes.
- As a student of History I'm an wholly dedicated to digging up these narratives to showcase and dispel illusions, opposed to running to the same lazy stereotypes focused on within both black and muslim communities, let alone black muslim communities. I know my history is so much more than Slavery and Civil Rights and I want the history curriculum then the world to know so too!
- I want more! More than scaremongering that sees Black men and women represented as hashtags before humans and doesn't recognise various diasporic experiences as authentic to that person. I pledge to shine a light on these experiences and my first stop is university, studying these issues in further depth whilst gaining critical analytic skills will enable me to fulfill my dream of becoming a Historic researcher for film and TV. I want to be the next David Olusoga and without a BA I have barely a chance of entering this field.
- If you do decided support me in getting to Royal Holloway, I will in return (in addition to your rewards) pledge to enable those in the same difficult financial situation as myself to reach their full potential once my BA is over!
- History is so much more than the Battle of Hastings and World War II, there's enough room for all of our stories in this textbook.
Where will the money go?
- The minimum of £4,500 will go directly on my first installment of tuition fees that is are compulsory to pay in order to complete my enrollment.
- The remaining money raised will enable me to pay forward my tuition fees over a 2 year period. The 3rd year I will attempt to fund myself.
Rewards
Check out the rewards for your lovely pledges on the right hand side.
STAY TUNED
Follow the journey via twitter @A2theSquared or hop over to instagram and follow the journey and my photographic inconsistencies at @lepetitealycapone!
CAN I TASTE SUCCESS IN MY SPIT?
The African Proverb goes something along the lines of "It takes a village to raise a child". You are my online village, I'm somewhat of a child. Please help raise my case to study my socks off by giving anything you can from pennies to pounds and tweets to texts!
That being said have a lovely day and thanks for getting this far down! If you'd like to have a chat drop me an email at aliyah.holder96@gmail.com!
