Student turns to ‘crowdfunding’ to raise money for tuition and fees

(The Boston Globe, November 13, 2013)

Halfway toward earning a bachelor’s degree, a 19-year-old student at Boston University said she had no way to pay for next semester, never mind the two years after that. So she turned to “crowdfunding.” Through a website, she asked family, friends, and even strangers for help covering her tuition and fees. Within 27 hours, she had eclipsed her goal of $5,000, enough to stay at BU through the spring and to keep pace to become the first in her family to earn a degree. 25 days after launching the effort, she had received 203 donations totaling $8,856, according to the website.