In August we all got an email with the subject “Senior Class Gift - the NYU Shanghai 2013 Fund.” The email announced the preparation for the fundraising campaign that would be modeled after NYU New York’s 1831 Fund. But what exactly is the 1831 Fund? Of course, the numbers in the campaign name are not randomly generated. 1831 is the university’s founding year and contributions of $18.31 exactly go to scholarships for new students to “fund the NYU Dream.” [embed]https://youtu.be/7pfWO6Zoe0k[/embed] According to the 1831 Fund website, scholarships in NYU New York are distributed by the Financial Aid office. In 2015, the campaign helped 80 students, who received on average $2000 each. The recently graduated class of 2016 raised an impressive sum as well - over $30,000. The campaign is not limited to seniors, any student can contribute. Moreover, if you cannot donate the full $18.31 you can still give less and if you would like to donate more, you can do that too. Contributing to the fund also gives New York students special perks like invites to campaign events and even early access to senior week tickets. NYU Abu Dhabi has its own 2010 Fund, which is a little different from 1831 one. There, $20.10 donations go for scholarships to NY students who study abroad in Abu Dhabi and towards funding community service projects. Now that NYU Shanghai is ready to start the 2013 Fund, the campaign committee conducted a survey among NYUSH students in order to figure out where the money is going to go. The following results were recorded:

As can be seen on the graph, the majority of students wants the fund to go towards student scholarships. In NYU Shanghai, the 2013 fund is combined with the senior gift tradition, so every graduating student is asked to contribute $20.13. For now it is not clear whether students who are not able to give 20 dollars can give less, or if one can donate more. Roxanne Roman and Yuxin (Inez) Tong, member of the inaugural class of NYU Shanghai and leaders the 2013 Fund committee, are working hard to make the campaign amazing. The committee is currently looking for new members; details and application can be found in the email send by the 2013 Fund Committee. NYU Shanghai is much smaller than NYU New York, and maybe in Shanghai the amount of money raised is going to end up smaller than in New York, but it does not make the fund any less meaningful. We love NYU Shanghai because of what we have learned here and how it changed us, and now we have a chance to help someone else achieve the NYU Shanghai dream. This article was written by Mira Yoo. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: 2013 Fund Committee