My name is Carlos, I’m 19 years old, and I’m currently a full-time student at South Seattle where I am in culinary school. I also work part-time in a restaurant as a cook to help cover my expenses. My days are pretty packed. I have classes and practicals during the day, and then I head to my part-time job in the evenings.
As a Seattle promise student, I have had the opportunity to get financial aid covered. Financial aid has been a huge help. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to afford my tuition. However, even with the aid, I still have to cover other expenses like books, supplies, and living costs. I had to buy special knives and utensils for my cooking classes, and they were expensive. That’s one of the reasons why I work part-time. During summer, I work two jobs, part-time at both, so I can save for the rest of the school year. I work as a cook in both jobs so at least it gives me practice in the kitchen.
Free college would be amazing for me. It would relieve a lot of the financial stress that comes with paying for tuition and other school-related costs. I could focus more on my studies and my passion for cooking without constantly worrying about money. I think in general, the benefits of free college for students would be that it would make higher education accessible to more people, especially those families that don’t make too much money. It would reduce the need for students to work long hours and have to study too. Balancing that can be hard and can take a toll on our health and academic performance.I think investing in free college is investing in our future and our community.
I’m not too familiar with DEI but I can say that at South Seattle, I have felt included in terms of equity. My teachers in particular have been very inclusive. One of my teachers helped me find employment as an undocumented student and has connected me with people who can help me. I was unsure of sharing my status at first, but my teachers have been inclusive, helpful and understanding.
I think creating paid pathways for undocumented students is really important because undocumented students have more obstacles at attaining higher education. Not having clear ways to make a living, makes it harder to motivate students to continue with higher education. I know for me, it has been hard attaining ways to make money.
Carlos Gonzaga, Seattle