Meet Jury: Our Coin Grantee From Leyte Who Aspires To Become A Teacher

Jury, 20, has spent much of her college life juggling more than just coursework. From working as a TikTok affiliate to now running her own small business selling fuzzy wire bouquets, she's found ways to support her own dream of becoming an educator. Now in her third year, that dream is within reach, but getting there will take more than she can manage alone.

Raised by her fisherman father, a solo parent, Jury relies on support from their extended family and her side hustles to cover her tuition and other school-related expenses. Without additional funds to provide a laptop, Jury relies on her old smartphone to access learning materials, submit academic requirements, and participate in synchronous classes through mobile data. The same phone is also her storefront where she photographs her creations, prepares promotional materials for her Facebook page, and manages orders.

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Jury during one of her school events (left); Jury creating a bouquet for her small business, Crafts by Aife (right)

When schoolwork requires a computer, Jury borrows a laptop from a classmate. She does so about two to three times a month, solely to complete major projects. Her school’s computer laboratory is another option, but access is generally limited to scheduled computer classes. This usually leaves her to rely on her outdated phone and mobile data. When the connection is unreliable or a requirement is too demanding for her device, even simple tasks can take longer to complete. This limited access affects her quality of participation in school. 

These challenges are becoming increasingly significant as Jury prepares for her upcoming practice teaching semester. A Coin Grant — which provides computer and internet access to students and community workers — would give her consistent access to a laptop and reliable internet for her studies, allowing her to participate more fully in online learning, complete academic requirements, and prepare for practice teaching without relying as heavily on borrowed equipment. It would also provide additional digital support for her small craft business. The grant would give Jury the tools she needs to complete her education and move closer to becoming the teacher she hopes to be—one who can, in turn, help her students reach their own goal

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The Computer and Internet (Coin) Grant—a key initiative under our Create ASPIRE program—is designed for students and community leaders. The Coin Grant provides laptops or desktop computers along with internet subsidies to individuals who are digitally literate but lack the means to purchase.

Learn more about the Coin Grant today. Click here to start.