My name is Ivonne Salazar, I am 19 years old and I am a first generation Mexican American. My mother was trafficked into this country when she was 20 years old and raised me and siblings on her own as a single mother, which greatly affected the person I became today.
I decided to go to community college, as it was a more affordable educational route towards my career goals. I was also told that community college offered more of a 1 on 1 education, since the classes and lectures are significantly smaller.
As the first in my family to go to college and pursue a higher education, I hold myself to a high educational standard. My career goals were determined by the way I grew up. Growing up I struggled with mental health disorders like anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and generalized depression disorder. As a part of a low income family, my mother couldn’t provide everything she wanted to as she was making minimum wage. Growing up in a low income community, I often saw how underserved some communities are, including pregnant women, people of color, and children, which resulted in my career goals of becoming a physician for the underserved communities and being able to give them affordable care.
I know of many families who are still unable to put aside the money to send themselves or children to college. I have personally faced many financial barriers when it comes to accessing higher education. Having 3 siblings my mother can not afford to pay for all of our tuition so it is up to me to come up with the money. With my heavy workload, it’s hard to maintain a job, let alone work the hours required to make the money necessary. Guaranteeing the first two years of college for CTC students would help many low income families by providing them the financial freedom of being able to attend. I know of many people who are eager to get a higher education but can not afford it. Guaranteeing the first two years of college would be vital towards encouraging many more people to pursue a higher education.
I know of many undocumented students and I do not know of many programs and initiatives that offer support to undocumented students. Many undocumented students I know are constantly struggling with finding jobs, which strips these students of vital experiences that are mandatory in their educational and career goals. I think a stipend program for undocumented students would be able to help many undocumented students to be able to continue receiving their education.
Ivonne Salazar, Lake Stevens