South African leader Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon in which you can use to change the world.” Since I started my education at Queensborough Community College in fall 2016, I’ve realized my growth and the importance of having a college degree. In the future, I would like to become an attorney, to advocate justice for those less fortunate.

Currently, I’m enrolled in the ASAP program and I am a TAP and Pell recipient. I could not imagine coming to school without financial aid and opportunity programs that help support and pay for my schooling. Without these I would probably be more focused on working long hours to pay off tuition, than on classes and experiences that would be beneficial to my career later on. I want tuition hikes to be ended and higher education in New York to be fully funded so everyone will have the chance to get a fair education and further themselves like I am.

I am a freshman studying liberal arts.  I receive TAP and the Pell Grant and I am part of ASAP.  I use Pell to help pay for the bills since I live with my mom.  I would like to go to Brooklyn Institute to be a sonographer.  I think I am going to have to take out loans for my bachelors.  I used to work, but I am taking 17 credits this semester.  I used to work on weekends when I took 12 credits which would be the maximum amount of credits I’d want to take while having a job.  If I didn’t receive financial aid I’d have to take out a loan.

I am a sophomore studying criminal justice that wants to go to John Jay. I receive the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)award and the Pell Grant and I am part of the ASAP program.  Since ASAP covers textbooks and metrocard, I can use Pell for food and other bills. I also have a paid internship with a cadet which helps me pay for some of the textbooks that don’t get covered through ASAP.  I am the first person in my family to go to college, my family is from Ecuador.  If I didn’t get financial aid I would have gone to the army because they pay for college.  I was part of CUNY Start originally and it helped me get through remedial classes by offering textbooks and advisers for much cheaper.    I would have liked to be in the ACE program at John Jay but it doesn’t cover transfer students.  I will probably rent textbooks when I transfer.  I’ve been looking for internships for credit so that I graduate on time at John Jay and don’t run out of my financial aid.

I am a freshman psychology major. I would like to eventually work at a school and work with teenagers or do social work. I receive the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and the Pell Grant and I am looking for a job to pay for the bus, food and clothes. I didn’t qualify for ASAP because they said I had too many remedial courses. But I had taken those classes in the summer already. When I went to try again to appeal, the spots in ASAP were already filled up. If I was able to get into ASAP I would get my metrocard covered which would be a huge help. I am the first person in my family to go to college. My family and I are from the Dominican Republic. If I didn’t get financial aid I’d have to take out loans. I am trying to work to save money in case there is a semester that I don’t get enough financial aid.

I used to work construction before deciding to go back to school.  Although I had saved up some money before this transition, school tuition is not cheap at all, combined with rent.  I soon had to move back in with my mother but that did not work out, so nowadays I stay with my sister and brother in law.  I help out around the house and take care of my nieces, and I work part time but really all I can do is make enough money to pay some bills, and also pay a little rent money to my sister.  I borrow money from my mother for school tuition, and the expensive books.

When I first went back to school in 2016, I was told it was too close to my last W2 where I made full time income from construction. So unfortunately, I did not qualify for financial aid. I may qualify this September but, even then, it won’t be enough to subsidize my total educational costs. It may alleviate a bit of the money I borrow from my mother.

I believe an individual such as myself would benefit from SNAP.  It could help me afford food while not adding to my stress and financial burden overall.

I use financial aid to pay my tuition in college. I qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). However, the TAP award is too low.  It should be more.   I have to buy books, food, and pay for transportation costs and housing.

This semester, my textbooks cost almost $300 and  my metrocard costs $120 per month. Because I am a full-time student in college, it is not possible to work.  I hope I am going to graduate on time so that I do not run out of TAP money.

I am currently relying on my parents’ income to support me, but to be honest, a lower-middle class family supporting two children in college is hard. So I am forced to work in order to pay for school.

My schedule is so tight because I must work until 12 or 1 AM for a restaurant and still take a full-time course load to qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).  I am also paying for my own textbooks. As a student who majoring in biology, textbooks are a major burden on my wallet.   I am also paying for my own transportation.

I’m a student at Queensborough Community College. I work in a pet store as a full time employee. It’s hard for me to maintain my job and study,  but I believe hard work will gift me a brighter future. I get a little help from the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and  some monetary help from my mom. My mom said that she will soon stop helping me because she wants me to be self-sufficient. She does not make that much money and is also raising my half sister on her own.

I will be in a horrible situation if the tuition increases or if I get less financial aid. I wish to see an America that treats all of her children equally regardless of social status or economic level.