My name is Duke, and I am originally from Zambia, Africa. When I entered the United States, I was mostly in foster care and then was adopted at five years old. I am currently a student at Yakima Valley College to pursue film directing and to one day write and film a movie.
I decided to go to community college because it was more accessible, closer, and cheaper to me. I also experienced barriers when attending school, such as feeling that I did not have that much guidance. Due to the lack of guidance, I experienced financial aid barriers because of a miscommunication between the financial aid office and me, causing my classes not to be covered and leading me to be dropped from my classes. Having to apply for financial aid each time can result in students facing the same difficulties I did, which can truly affect their education.
Free community college would allow me to stay focused in my classes and not worry about applying for financial aid every year. I was lucky to be given the opportunity to apply for FASFA, allowing me to study without worrying about how I would pay for my education. However, not everyone is as fortunate as I am, which is why a lot of people do not have the opportunity to qualify for financial aid. This leads lower-income students to suffer from student loans, which contradicts the American dream of the United States being a land of opportunity. Having free college would give low-income students who cannot qualify for financial aid the chance to get an education.
Zunduka Walker, Yakima