My name is Sarai. I decided to go to community college because it is close to my house, and it makes it easy to continue working at my current job as a waitress at a restaurant. My professional goals as of now is exploring whether I want to be a teacher or a nurse. It is hard to finance and balance school because of how expensive school is, the high costs of living and having to take care of my kids.
I took a gap between high school and college due to those challenges, and I’m sure this is a barrier that many face, specifically POC and immigrant communities.
There was a lack of knowledge and guidance from counselors and people close to me. I was unsure on how to complete FAFSA. I was helped by a guidance counselor from my daughter’s school and that’s when I started school. Free college would be beneficial to me and others because it would open the doors for many to help us focus on school, and not how much we owe.
I’m not sure of benefit hubs or wraparound services. But it is good to know because getting help with bills, childcare and food can be beneficial to me and other students due to how hard it is to balance work and study, and the high costs of living.
Sarai Gonzalez, Yakima