Jennifer's Voice
How have increased tuition fees impacted you and your family?:
Every since I was young, my parents and I have talked about my college education. These dreams and ambitions have stayed with me as I¿ve come of age, but now as I have grown up and entered into the system of higher education, they¿ve never felt so far away.
Money is the key tool for success, and is something that I¿ve had to be thinking about for years. Everyday, I have financial anxiety, concerned for not only my own future, but that of my young sister and my parents. From my background, I never thought college would be an issue, yet my parents have expressed uncertainty for the second round of tuition for my sister. I constantly feel guilty and burdened by the knowledge that my sisters tuition is bound to be twice the amount it is today. This pressures me to load myself with coursework in effort to graduate as quickly as possible, as well as taking on a job to become financially independent.
It is hard at my age to know how I need to grow to support myself so quickly, but when I look at my parents, I know it must be done. My mom, an elementary school teacher, has gone back to full-time teaching, with summer workshops and after-school intervention classes. My father, a restaurant area director, works harder than anyone, sacrificing all his energy for success. In their industries, my parents each are in vulnerable positions of job security, due to the shifting needs of the economy, but more strongly, education budget cuts. The sooner I can support myself will be a weight lifted off their heavy burdens, so time is of the essence.
The larger the cuts to education get, the more I worry for my mom¿s job, my parents retirement, and my sister¿s slowly narrowing future. Opportunity is slowly slipping out of my hands, as I forego the years of my youth to spend studying and working as hard as I possibly can, racing against the constant tuition increases. How much harder can I work before tuition is just too far ahead?
What are you studying at SF State and what do you hope to do once you graduate?:
I am in the pre-Apparel Merchandising program, with a minor in Marketing. When I graduate I hope to be set for a successful future in fashion merchandising and editing.
Jennifer D., 18 Rocklin, CA
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