Hi yall,
As many of you know, my name is Shamara “Marz Jupiter” Saffore. I live in BedStuy Brooklyn, NY, and I am a full-time doctoral student and an adjunct professor at New York University. Specifically, I attend NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, studying and teaching media, aesthetics, and politics in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. Additionally, I am a political organizer in NYC, fighting for the full liberation of all colonized and oppressed peoples. In my spare time, I produce music under the stage name Marztian, and I practice art, as I also have a MFA in Studio Art from NYU Steinhardt. I am writing to yall to ask for financial support as I work diligently to finish my PhD and graduate in May 2027.
Originally, I was slated to graduate this past May 2026. However, even after walking in graduation, I was unfortunately informed by my dissertation committee and my department that my dissertation needed revising before they could officially grant my degree. Thus, I was forced into a 9th year in my doctoral program. Being a graduate student since 2015 (for my MFA and PhD) has placed me in a crippling amount of debt, and this unexpected 9th year of my PhD program has upended and destroyed all my future plans to obtain a full-time job and begin my journey towards becoming financially stable. This has brought me here to create this crowdfunding project as a means to finally get some air above water and get my life back on track, particularly financially.
For full transparency, I currently owe NYU $3,544.55, which is the remaining cost of my health insurance plan from August 2025 to August 2026. Since I owe them this money, they will not grant me health insurance for August 2026 to August 2027. Once I clear the $3,544.55 debt, I then need to immediately pay $5,397 to obtain insurance for the current school year that just started. There is an urgency to my situation as I am currently uninsured, and I need insurance to continue attending therapy for my mental health, psychiatry once a month for medication management, and I need to be able to purchase my medications at an affordable cost on a monthly basis. Additionally, with several pre-existing injuries to my ankle, knee, and hip, I need to be able to get back into physical therapy. These are my immediate needs that I currently cannot fulfill due to my lack of insurance.
To be honest, I am still deeply grieving the death of my momma, Rachael Saffore, who sadly passed away in 2025. It is grief compounded with health issues that subsequently led me to my 9th year in this program, the loss of future full-time employment possibilities, and my current financial situation. There is no room for grief in the university. There is no room for grief in the workplace. There is no room for grief in life. I am reaching out to all of yall, fully vulnerable, to ask for financial assistance, so that I may continue grieving and attending to my mental and physical health. Without the support of my community, I’m not sure how I will continue not only the completion of my degree, but perhaps more importantly, the continuation of my health and wellness journey. It is for these reasons that I am reaching out to yall right now.
If you are able, please consider donating to this crowdfunding project. Every dollar brings me closer to being able to obtain the care I need to work towards being my best self and (finally!) finish my studies. If you cannot donate, I wholeheartedly understand – times are impossibly difficult right now for all of us, mentally, physically, and financially. Even sharing this fundraiser with your communities and loved ones would mean the absolute world to me. No matter what, I want to thank my community for continuing to care for me over the years in all the ways possible. Without yall, there would be no me.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, donate to the cause, and share this campaign. I truly, truly appreciate yall. Much, much love.
- Marz Saffore
