I grew up without my parents and spent most of my life moving from house to house. My grandparents raised me, and by the time I turned eighteen, I moved into my own place and started paying for everything myself. I’ve been working since I was fourteen, and I’m a first-generation college student trying to build stability that I’ve never really had.
Community college was the only realistic option for me. A four-year university is completely out of reach financially, and honestly, if FAFSA didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be in college at all. Higher education matters because I want a future that’s stable, secure, and meaningful. My goal is to earn my master’s in social work, get licensed, and eventually open my own practice. I especially hope to become a CPS investigator—one who is thorough, fair, and unbiased. Social workers are often underpaid and overworked, and having the highest level of education I can get is one of the few ways to access a better position and better pay in this field.
College is not affordable, not even close. Every obstacle you can imagine, I’ve faced. Tuition alone would have kept me out if I didn’t qualify for aid. Guaranteeing the first two years of community or technical college would make an immediate difference. It wouldn’t just increase enrollment, people would actually stay in school. Two free years would give students breathing room to save for the higher levels of education their careers require, instead of being pushed out before they even really begin.
Support with basic needs is also essential. For students who are entirely on their own—no parents, no financial backup—services like housing assistance, food access, transportation, and childcare can be the difference between staying in school and dropping out. I use the SPSCC food bank, and I’m in the One Stop often. But in the summer, those services shut down because of staffing, and suddenly everything disappears. Students’ needs don’t stop just because it’s summer break.
The last thing I want to say is about the FAFSA requirement that forces students under 25 to still be listed as dependents unless they meet certain criteria. For people like me—who have been financially independent for years—it creates huge, unnecessary barriers. Policies like that don’t reflect the reality of students who have been supporting themselves long before college even entered the picture.
I’ve worked my whole life for a chance at stability and a career where I can make a real impact. With cost-free college, stronger wraparound services, and mental health support that actually matches student needs, more people like me could get that chance too.