A Drew alumna steps up when a senior falls on hard times.

By Mary Jo Patterson

When an unpaid balance of $2,800 from the spring semester threatened to keep senior Judea Hill from returning to Drew this fall, the aspiring art therapist made an emotional plea for help on YouTube, then posted it on Facebook and Twitter. “I’m not someone trying to send myself on vacation,” a teary-eyed Hill began. “I’m just trying to better myself.” In her video, she recounted how funeral expenses for two relatives had drained family finances; her annual tuition costs, after loans and financial aid, Hill says, total about $4,000. Two days later, small donations began arriving, followed by a $2,800 gift from a Drew alumna who requested anonymity. “She’s my guardian angel,” says Hill, a housing assistant for Asia Tree House who worked in Drew’s telecommunications office over the summer. “Drew is like family. I love this school, which is why I fought so hard to stay here.”