Help A Bristol Mum Get to Medical School With Crowdfunding

Stories in the news have been regularly featured about the the increasing costs of higher education and more recently rail travel. These are some of the challenges that face young Bristolian wife and mother Jolene Galbreath, who will shortly start medical school at the Kings College London. Yet tuition fees and other financial necessities and support are not what are keeping the young PhD from realising her dream but the cost of commuting by train every day. In order to raise enough funds to cover travel expenses, Jolene has turned to the UK crowdfunding platform, Crowdfunder for help.

Since the age of 17, Jolene knew she wanted to be a physician working with the most vulnerable, especially children. She began looking at the type of care provided and how it could be improved with focus on the big picture, believing that medical knowledge and good intentions were not enough. Jolene immersed herself in immunology, study of genetics, micro biology, and now hopes to study clinical medicine and become a fully fledged doctor. In addition to her work and studies in all aspects of healthcare, Jolene is also a wife and mother. 

Anyone who travels from Bristol to London will no doubt be aware of how expensive it can be (too true - ed). Jolene's tuition fees and costs are covered, along with other financial support and care for her family. However by taking this non - traditional route to education funding Jolene is ineligible for a student loan, and this is where crowdfunding can help. This call for funding is more than just a "help fund my life" campaign. As well as studying to become a physician, Jolene will be writing a book chronicling her experiences as a non-traditional student called White Coat, Bluestocking. The purpose of the book is to help others like Jolene with a desire to go back into education, at a time when higher education funding is facing the biggest challenges.

As student finance loans are no longer available for study at ‘lower or equal levels,’ lack of accessible funding is a very real barrier to re-entry into work and further professional development. Furthermore, the banks have very recently withdrawn their loans for professional degrees, including medicine. This leaves mature and non-- traditional students with very few options, indeed!
 - Jolene Slothouber Galbreath PhD

So far Jolene has reached 61% of her £8,000 target but with a only a few days remaining, pressure is mounting to reach the target. In exchange for any donations, supporters will receive all sorts of rewards starting with a personalised "thank you", and memorabilia such as T-Shirts and signed copies of the book. For generous donors, Jolene offers a "Bag and Blog" sponsor for a term. For more information about the rewards on offer and to pledge your support please visit Jolene's Crowdfunder page by clicking here.

Image Credit; Train Chartering & Private Rail Cars