Amelia

My name is Amelia, and I'm a second-year student at UC Berkeley. I'm originally from Altadena, California, where my family lost our home in the Eaton Fire this past January. I had been living at home during winter break and witnessed firsthand the devastation as our entire community—friends, neighbors, and familiar places like my old schools—were engulfed by the flames.

I learned about JFLA from a friend who reached out after the fire, knowing that, like so many others, my family would need help and relief after losing everything. The loan I received from JFLA will allow me to continue my education by covering my college tuition and making it possible for me to study abroad this fall in Argentina and Chile, as part of a program called Human Rights and Cultural Memory.

I’m deeply grateful to my family and to organizations like JFLA that step in during moments of crisis to ensure students like me can keep pursuing our goals. This support means the world to me as we begin to rebuild our lives.