Help Monique Mitchell achieve her goals

THIRTY-YEAR-OLD resident of Retreat in St Thomas, Monique Mitchell, is desperately seeking a chance to change the narrative of her life, through the pursuit of her lifelong passion, a career in film writing.

After years of practice, writing books and scripts, the young woman has recently spotted a beam of hope via an acceptance letter to study at the accredited Toronto Film School in Canada.

However, standing between Mitchell and her dear aspiration are seemingly insurmountable financial barriers.

Determined to succeed, she is now reaching out for public assistance to offset the hefty costs associated with accomplishing her dreams.

She share: “I have settled over the years for minimum-paying jobs because of not being able to finance a degree. I have published over six books on Amazon and while readers from all over boost my confidence and share how great my work is, it is still hard to get investors and assistance because I have no official qualification.”

Mitchell told The Gleaner that despite her efforts to overcome a deficient lifestyle, life has not been kind.

“It is my passion to get there so badly that I went ahead and got a loan to finance marketing my books overseas, only to wake up one morning to accept the reality that this marketing agency, claiming to be in Hollywood, took approximately US$3,000 from me and it was all a scam,” she said, adding that though depressed by the trickery, she still decided to apply for writing school.

RENEWED HOPE

With renewed hope brought on by the acceptance letter, the young woman revealed that she has visited several companies and almost all government ministries seeking help with her tuition. However, she has not been met with any good news.

As the deadline for the first payment fast approaches, she has turned her pleas to the public.

“The programme is for four years in television and film writing. I would start at Toronto Film School for two years then finish at York University. My school fee is CND$17,580, approximately two million Jamaican dollars. However, the first payment of CND$7,000 is due this month end. I know it is a lot but if I can get 2,000 people to pledge a thousand dollars towards my schooling then I can get a great start. I am planning to do a fundraiser to fund the miscellaneous fees,” she said.

Mitchell has also launched a GoFundMe to ramp up additional support.

“My forever dream is to be the Caribbean version of Tyler Perry. I also want to become a helping woman to my Jamaican people, like Rihanna, and to make a difference and help others to see that they can, too. I believe this start can help me get there. This dream is not only for me but for everyone that has somehow been affected by financial constraints and feel as if their dreams may be too far-fetched,” she said.

Those wishing to assist may reach Monique Mitchell at (876) 396-8228.