Help Victoria Study Design in Japan

Victoria Cacho Start Date: Dec 21, 2017 - End Date: Jan 29, 2018

My Travel Story

by: Victoria Cacho Start Date: Dec 21, 2017 - End Date: Jan 29, 2018
こんにちは！　私はビクトリア・カチョーで、USCの二年生です。美術と日本語をべんきょうします。どうぞよろしく！

Hello! I'm Victoria Cacho, a sophomore at the University of Southern California studying graphic design and Japanese. Nice to meet you! I started this campaign so that I could raise enough money to go on a two-week international study abroad trip to Japan offered by my school, USC Roski School of Art and Design. The trip takes place at the end of the Spring 2018 semester from May 12-26, 2018, and during the trip, I'll be visiting Japan's top design firms and museums and doing other fun things while also completing a design project with the 17 other students who have been accepted to the trip. The trip counts as a two-unit college class (code DES 433), so I'll be getting credit for my major as well!

I'm EXTREMELY EXCITED about this trip because it's the perfect match for my current major and minor combination (design and Japanese). I'll be able to enhance my skills as a designer and get a better idea of my career path while also being able to practice the Japanese language, which I've been learning for a year now! Plus, I've always had this dream of someday moving to Japan and working as a designer and illustrator, so even though I'm still a sophomore in college, going on this trip would be another step towards fulfilling that dream!

However, the trip costs $5200, which is WAY out of my budget. I do make money from my part-time job as a student graphic designer but most of the money goes to my tuition and everyday needs such as groceries and errands. I come from a relatively low-income household as well, so for the most part I've been supporting myself ever since I started school at USC. I'm not going to let money be an obstacle barring me from following my dreams, and I'm determined to do anything I can in order to raise enough money to afford the trip. That's why I started this campaign, in the hopes that someone would read my story and help me out.

A $1500 direct deposit is due January 1st, 2018, while the remaining $3700 is due January 30th. As you can tell by the dates, I don't have a lot of time to spare! The first due date is coming up pretty quickly—the next 2-3 weeks, in fact. I've already raised most of the money for the first date through my GoFundMe campaign and other resources. But now that I'm currently on winter break and back home in Seattle, I'm not making any money from my part-time job. That's why getting support through this campaign is so crucial for my being able to afford this trip. If you can find it in yourself to contribute to my cause, I would deeply, deeply appreciate it! Any amount helps, even if it's just $5! And if you are unable to donate at this time, that's totally fine! Even by just sharing this campaign with your friends and spreading the word you would be helping :)

I've also begun fundraising in other ways as well, from selling PDFs of my sketchbooks on Gumroad to turning my art into stickers and mugs on Redbubble, to selling prints of my paintings on Inprnt! If you would like to receive something in return for helping me out, I invite you to check out those sites as well!

Once again, thank you for reading all of this and thank you to all those who have helped me thus far by donating to and sharing this campaign. I truly appreciate every single contribution, even if it's $5, or sharing this campaign to your Facebook page, or even sending prayers in my direction. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season! ありがとうございます！

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