Wayne's Voice
How have increased tuition fees impacted you and your family?:
My family has never made enough money to help me with my higher education goals and yet I have also never qualified for financial aid. As a result, I have been working full time since the age of 16 to finance my education. I can never get ahead, as everything around me seems to be getting more and more expensive by the day. I live with three other roommates in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in San Francisco in an effort to make ends meet. Each semester the fees increase (this semester they were increased TWICE) and even though I am beginning my final semester, I fear that I won't be able to keep the lights on. What is most disappointing for me is that because of my need to work such long hours, I cannot give the proper attention to my studies that they deserve. I am a bright student with a consistently high GPA, but each semester I leave feeling like I really didn't soak up as much information as I could have. I worry that I will leave the school, degree in hand, completely unprepared for the work that I wish to do. I am so disappointed with the way that my elected officials have been treating the CSU system and come next election, I will be campaigning hard against anyone who placed this burden on me and my fellow students.
What are you studying at SF State and what do you hope to do once you graduate?:
I will graduate in Spring of 2012 with a BA in Urban Studies and Planning. I plan to work for the city for a few years in planning or redevelopment before continuing with my education. My next goal is a masters in environmental science which I will leave the state to pursue because I can no longer afford an education in California.
Wayne F., 25 San Francisco, CA
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