George Washington University professor helps pay student’s rent amid pandemic

Local professor helps GWU student in need

A professor at George Washington University is helping a student in a very selfless way.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Zenia Kim is a freshman at George Washington University and like many others, the pandemic is pushing her to the edge.

Mental health issues as well as an attempt at taking her own life forced her to withdraw from classes. At the same time, family issues resulted in her being kicked out of her house, which resulted in Kim picking up a serving job to make ends meet.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

Before she dropped her classes, Dr. Lynn Matheny, an adjunct professor at the university, emailed Kim about her missing work.

At the end of the semester, Kim emailed Matheny about her issues. To Kim’s surprise, Matheny responded, asked for her Venmo account information, and sent her $1,000 toward her rent.

Astonished by her generosity, Kim took to social media to document what had just happened to her. The post has since garnered over 250,000 likes and shares.

"She was the only professor who had reached out to me to check on how I was doing," says Kim. "I was like literally shocked. My jaw dropped to the floor. That is a lot of money and you don’t really see that happening every day and I was thankful that a professor like her cared so much for her student as if she was her own. She also told me that I would just pay it forward in the future when I can. I think that’s a graceful thing to do to give love and return in the end and just keep a continuous cycle."