My name is Jessica Aguirre. I’m a 16 year old student at Sunnyside High School. My goals out of high school are to go to college. Right now my main goal is to try and become a dentist or something in the medical field. I would like to go to college somewhere close. I don’t want to leave for somewhere halfway across the country.
I’ve seen that it’s kinda costly to get into college right now, and a lot of people struggle with going through the FAFSA and things like that, so it’s not too approachable. I don’t think I’ve faced any barriers yet with accessing education.
If the first two years of community college were guaranteed free, I think a lot of people would see college as more of an option because the first few years are very costly and it discourages people and it doesn’t seem like it might be worth it in the end. Having the first two years guaranteed free might push them towards college instead of going straight to work.
If college is already expensive and then you have to worry about housing and where you are going to get your meals, which are also kinda expensive, it would put extra stress on top of the college aspect. I feel like I would take advantage of housing/rental assistance or food security resources provided by my college. I feel like it would make my time at college much easier and help me get through all of the time I would have to be there.
Mental health support is really important. When you’re in college, you have most of the other stuff figured out already. College takes a toll on you and having available mental health services or people you can talk to – since most people who go to college are far away from home and their families – would help people get through it a little bit easier.
In terms of information about college in high school, I try my best to ask around, but I feel like that information is given out more easily for juniors and seniors since they’re close to graduating. I don’t really enjoy asking around, but I kind of have to since my mom doesn’t speak very good English yet.
In terms of mental health support at college, it would be good to have a counselor there that you can go and talk to if you’re having trouble or feeling down. It would help people be able to speak out about their problems or get some relief from stress.
Jessica Aguirre, Sunnyside