Taylor Swift has just made one of her most dedicated Canadian fan’s “Wildest Dreams” come true after she donated more than $6,000 to her university tuition fund.
Ayesha Khurram has been a diehard fan of the pop superstar since 2009. She said she’s been connected to the singer on the social media site Tumblr since 2015 with Swift occasionally liking her posts. In 2018, the Mississauga, Ont. resident even met the celebrity backstage at one of her concerts.
The most life-changing interaction with Swift for the 20-year-old student, however, came on Monday when she was given a most unexpected gift.
Over the weekend, Khurram posted about her financial woes on Tumblr following the provincial government’s cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) earlier this year.
“Guys. I don’t have enough for tuition this semester. I think I’m going to have to drop out,” she wrote on Thursday.
Khurram said she wouldn’t be able to pay for tuition and rent for a second year at the University of Waterloo.
“Last year my entire tuition and rent for the second semester was all covered by OSAP,” she told CTV Kitchener on Tuesday. “This year, even my tuition wasn’t covered by OSAP, let alone my rent.”
At the suggestion of a friend, Khurram said she posted her PayPal email account on Tumblr and asked her followers to donate to her education fund.
“I thought that was a good idea, like I should do it, and there’s no shame in it,” she explained.
Just two hours later, Khurram said she received an email stating that Taylor Nation LLC had sent her $6,386.47.
The accompanying message read: “Ayesha, get your learn on girl. I love you! Taylor.”
Shortly after, the star-struck fan took to Instagram to share her reaction to Swift’s generous donation.
“I have no words and I can’t stop crying. I don’t have words,” she wrote.
Khurram said she and her family moved to Canada from Pakistan in 2016 in search of a better life. She said Swift’s gift will her pursue her educational goals.
“I feel like I have no more problems anymore,” she said. “It's incredible. I mean it’s the reason we moved here, education and a better lifestyle, and for Taylor to contribute to that in the best way possible… I have no words.”
Thanks to Swift, Khurram said she will be starting her second year in the Accounting and Financial Management program at the University of Waterloo this fall.
As for her third year of school, Khurram told Newstalk 1010 she will be working for a semester as part of her co-op program, which will make her financial situation a “bit easier.”
