April 10, 2025
By Kiley Mallard

As an international student without family in the U.S., Gio already faced special challenges. Then his family’s living situation changed unexpectedly last fall, leaving them unable to support him financially. 

“The money I relied on for food and housing disappeared almost overnight,” he says.

Because of visa restrictions, during the school year Gio can work only on campus, and while he applied to every campus job available, he didn’t receive a job offer until the end of the spring semester.

In the meantime, he relied on savings and credit cards to survive, depleting his bank account and accumulating over $7,000 in debt to stay enrolled and cover basic living expenses.

Then came Hurricane Milton. Gio applied to the USF United Support Fund for help with the costs of evacuating.

“Without it, I honestly don’t know how I would have made it through the year,” he says. “I am deeply grateful for that support. It helped me stay afloat and lifted a huge burden off my shoulders during a critical time.”

The USF United Support Fund serves as an important resource to help students cover essential needs in times of crisis. 

“There is always a need for students to have emergency funding available for those unexpected events that arise throughout the year,” says Traci Armes, assistant vice president in the Office of Financial Aid.

Created in response to students’ urgent challenges at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in 2020, the fund is available to USF students on all campuses experiencing unanticipated financial hardship. Students can apply through the Office of Financial Aid.

The fund helps pay for basic living expenses like food, toiletries, rent and other necessities in times of crises beyond their control. Those can include isolated personal and family emergencies or natural disasters, such as hurricanes. 

After hurricanes Helene and Milton in fall 2024, 616 students were awarded a total of $543,149 (as of March 26, 2025) to help cover unexpected expenses due to evacuating, purchasing hurricane supplies, losing food from power outages, being displaced, losing transportation or replacing damaged school supplies, including computers.

“While I’m still facing financial hardship, I have many reasons to be thankful,” says Gio. “I’m still standing because of the generosity of others. Their help made a real, tangible difference in my life and I will never forget it.”

In a typical year, the fund needs $300,000 to $500,000 to meet demand. Catastrophic events can swell that need to close to $1 million.

You can help! If you are in a position to support the USF United Support Fund, your contribution can make a meaningful difference — and help our Bulls stay strong through life’s storms.