Victoria's Voice
How have increased tuition fees impacted you and your family?:
Growing up in a single parent household, I was fortunate enough to receive some financial aid my first year of college. However, my family could not afford to keep me in the on-campus housing and because of a contract I had to withdraw from the school for my second semester. Determined to succeed in my education, I studied at a community college to earn units and head back to the CSU system. Luckily, I was able to afford my sophomore year with a part time job and some financial assistance. This year (2011-2012) my grant was taken away from me. I was forced to take on a full-time position at work in order to pay for my schooling. This has had a tremendous impact on my education. I can no longer dedicate the appropriate time to my studies and my focus in class is elsewhere.
Classes have become so impacted that it has become nearly impossible to get into required courses. I have spent three hour long lectures on the floor, because there are no more seats in classes. This affects the learning environment as well as the feedback and relationship with the professors.
Although I am self-supporting with rent, tuition, basic bills and everyday living costs, I must still report my mother's income when applying for financial assistance. This is unfortunate because my mother does not help contribute to my living or school costs.
What are you studying at SF State and what do you hope to do once you graduate?:
I am a Criminal Justice major at SFSU. In the future I plan on going into law school (if I can afford it) in order to offer legal aid to those in need. I have had the most amazing experiences from public legal aid offices both on and off campus in my time of need, and I would love to be able to contribute to such an important source of help.
Victoria C., 20 San Diego
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