Cynthia's Voice
How have increased tuition fees impacted you and your family?:
My mother is from Japan and came to Japan marrying my American father. Unfortunately because of her Japanese Degree she wasn't able to find a good paying job. My father fell into depression and quit his job, leading him to drugs and alcoholism. My father died when I was 14 and left thousands of dollar of debt to my mother who worked 4 jobs. By the time I graduated high school I lost all hope for my future. Then a counselor told me about FASFA. I applied to 20 colleges and got into 16 of them. I decided to go to SFSU to stay at home to save money and to take care of my mother. My mother never has supported me with my education only because we don't have that sort of money to do so. My 2nd year of college my mother found a new job that paid well. Because of that I got less support from FASFA and had to work more to pay for everything. Now the cuts are getting so harsh I might have to quit school for a semester and work full time in order to save up enough money to attend college. I have the will to survive but these harsh cuts is killing my ambition. When will the government realize education liberates our mind and hearts from the pain of humanity.
What are you studying at SF State and what do you hope to do once you graduate?:
I am a Liberal Studies major with an emphasis in Elementary Teaching with a minor of Asian American Studies. When I was a child many of my teachers told me I was stupid because I had bad pronunciation and English was challenging for me since I spoke both Japanese and English at home. I want to become an Elementary School teacher that shapes and encourage children to be proud of their heritage and know the differences between academic English and their own languages.
Cynthia A., 22 Castro Valley, CA
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