Students Find Support Among GW Community During Pandemic

The GW Cares Student Assistance Fund helps students, like Chris Zuniga, CCAS ‘22, face unexpected financial hardships in the wake of COVID-19.

July 13, 2020

 

Chris Zuniga

The GW Cares Student Assistance Fund provides critical support to GW students in need as a result of unexpected financial hardship. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, GW has committed to help students through covering emergency medical expenses, offsetting income from job loss, or supporting transportation and housing costs. Thanks to the generous donors of this fund, more than 750 students have received aid.

The GW Cares Student Assistance Fund helped Chris Zuniga, CCAS ‘22, and his family cover rent at a critical time. Zuniga and his family have lived in the same New Jersey apartment for his entire life, and when his father lost his job, paying rent became difficult. Zuniga’s parents were struggling to receive unemployment benefits due to government delays, so Zuniga turned to the GW Cares Student Assistance Fund. “The funds received are enough to cover three months’ rent, which is an immense amount of time.”

Zuniga is grateful to everyone who supports this fund, saying, “The GW Cares Student Assistance Fund really came through at the right time to help us amid this pandemic. If I could, I would give you every ‘thank you’ in the world.”