A few blocks from the Kent State University campus, Ibrahim Albadri shares a small apartment with a roommate and his orange tabby named Zena.
The living room is sparsely furnished: there鈥檚 a couch, a dining room table and a few foldout chairs. In the corner, the red and green Libya flag hangs on the wall.
Albedri鈥檚 just come from his job at the school鈥檚 IT department鈥攁ccording to his student visa, he鈥檚 only permitted to work for the school, and for no more than 20 hours a week. He folds open his laptop to check on his online fundraising campaign.
He says school administrators suggested the idea to him when it became evident his money for tuition would not arrive on time.
鈥淚 knew Libya was bad,鈥� Albadri says. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 know it was that bad.鈥�
Paying for college is a challenge for most any student. In his case, Albedri has the money, he just can鈥檛 access it.
As Albedri's home country devolves into increasing instability, it has become all but impossible for citizens living abroad to get to their money held in Libyan banks.
In the first few days, his did receive several donations. A month later, though, he's still tens of thousands of dollars away from his goal of $50,000.
It may seem farfetched, but this is Albedri鈥檚 last option, and he鈥檚 determined to continue school in the fall. He still hasn鈥檛 considered what he鈥檒l do with his cat if he鈥檚 forced to leave in August.
Albedri came to the U.S. in 2014 to study computer engineering. At the time the conflict in Libya had subsided, but as Albedri finished his sophomore year, fighting resumed. The county started to limit the amount of currency leaving its borders.
Administrators at Kent State say they鈥檝e seen this issue before. Right now, both their Iraqi and Libyan students face a similar struggle. They鈥檝e managed to put some in touch with emergency loans or allowed them to enroll on good faith, hoping the money will eventually arrive.
Of course, there鈥檚 not much else the school can do.
鈥淒oesn't look like the money's going to come from Libya, because it's just getting worse and worse,鈥� Albedri says.
At this point, Albadri owes the university tuition for two semesters. In March, his inability to pay meant he was forced to drop his classes. If by August he is still unable to produce the necessary funds, he won't be allowed to enroll and will subsequently lose his student visa.
Currently, Libya is not an ideal destination for a young person trying to get an education. Albedri says in the city where he lives, people don鈥檛 leave their homes at night. There have been kidnappings and the local law enforcement is unresponsive.
Albedri says his cousin was kidnapped; a fisherman found his body chopped into small pieces.
鈥淎ny of my friends that I call, they tell me don鈥檛 come back," Albedri says.
Libya no longer hosts an American embassy in the country, and the Trump administration has complicated travel from Muslim majority countries including Libya.
Johnathan Winer, a former special envoy for Libya, says if Albadri loses his student visa, there鈥檚 a good chance he won鈥檛 be able to get another one.
鈥淚f I was a Libyan student who had the right to be here, I would try and make it work too,鈥� Winer says.
It鈥檚 been several years since the country had an effective government, Winer says. In 2011, Arab Spring protests lead to the ousting of former leader Maummer Gaddafi and two subsequent civil wars. The intense conflicts have subsided, but basic services like healthcare, education and electricity are crumbing.
Winer says the collapse of the oil industry has led to an economic crisis. The country has spent more money than it is able to generate, and the government is afraid of running out of hard currency.
鈥淚f they run out of dollars...the country goes into immediate humanitarian catastrophe,鈥� Winer says.
About 1,500 students from Libya go to school in the U.S., and their education is critical to the county鈥檚 future. Winer says that if more young people are able to earn their degrees - whether in the States, the European Union or Canada - they can return to their country and help rebuild it.
鈥淚 would like to see as many Libyan students as possible to complete educations here,鈥� Winer says.
It may be too late for Albadri, who鈥檚 only a year away from graduating. Back home, he won鈥檛 have access to the same level of education. Poor internet, unreliable electricity and lack of computers means students there often learn to code with pen and paper.
"You know when you [have] a dream...and you鈥檙e halfway through and you wake up from the dream?" Albedri says. "That鈥檚 basically what will happen."
