Late last week, Dan Van Ampting of Lake Elmo, MN secured Givling’s $5,000 funding spot by watching ads and completing surveys. Then, just a few days later, Matthew Joyal of Duluth, MN landed in the next $5,000 spot.  “I stayed up late to play {Givling} and I was in first place with just $22 left to fund. I was so amped up that I stayed awake to read and 15 minutes later my wife showed me that I secured the spot” exclaimed Joyal.

The money couldn’t have come at a better time. Due to a miscommunication at Joyal’s university, he was suddenly stuck with a massive tuition bill that wasn’t covered by federal or private student loans. “I had to pay for the entire balance on a credit card.  This $5,000 will help us pay off that.”

Joyal shared that college had its challenging moments. “I struggled quite a bit early on. I was put on academic probation. However, after switching majors from Biochemistry to Cell Biology, I managed to get through that rough patch and come out the other side in a much better position.  And I ultimately added a Computer Science major, which I excelled at.

Now a Senior Software Engineer, Joyal looks forward to putting his college expenses behind him and explore some of the amazing outdoor activities available in Duluth. He says jokingly yet somewhat serious “If you don’t like the weather here, you usually only have to wait an hour and it will change!”