Dear Governor Tomblin,

Hi, my name is James. You might not know me, but I know you. You are currently the governor of our great state of West Virginia, and you have been for the last several years. There is a lot of talk about whether you have done a good job or not, but that’s not why I am here today. Today, I’m here to talk to you about something that pertains to me, and a lot more college-aged kids: PROMISE.

Before all that, though, here's a little background on me. I’m 19 years young and a sophomore at Fairmont State University. Originally, I hail from a small town 10 miles north of Charleston. We're a small town, with great people. I graduated in 2015 with a pretty good GPA and honors laid on my shoulders. One of those honors was the PROMISE, which may not be much to some, but to my family, it was important. My parents worked all their lives to provide for me the best life they could give me, and they did. I couldn’t ask for a better life, or a better family that stood behind me. I was also given many opportunities, some I took and some I did not. The ones that I took molded me into the person I am today.

That being said, on April 14, the budget in our state was brought to my awareness. Granted, most of the time we do have to go into special sessions to determine our budget anyway, but this year I feel it is special since your “six scenarios” has the PROMISE scholarship being either A) phased out or B) cut out completely. And that, sir, is where I take offense.

Ever since I was a freshman in high school, all I heard about was keeping West Virginia’s youth in the state and giving them a higher education to better the state’s future. Because, let’s face it, sir, West Virginia is dying. It has been dying. You can’t skirt around the truth, and we can’t cover it up. Coal is being shut down, people are moving out and people are getting older. The young do not want to stay in West Virginia because they see no reason to stay. By cutting out the PROMISE, you’re only further alienating the youth.

Even with as much bad stuff I think about West Virginia, to all the stereotypes we have been given, I still love this state. But, it’s getting harder to love a state that doesn’t love you back. I always hope that the good will triumph over the bad, but once again, it’s getting harder to believe that. In a time of political gridlock, we need someone who is willing to see the other side of the issues and not just blindly follow their parties’ political ideologies.

Signed,

A Concerned Student.