To me, college was always a dream. Gatsby's green light-- always out of reach. Getting my acceptance letters was like getting a golden ticket. That dream quickly came crashing down when the reality of the cost of college hit.
I grew up in a working-class family. When my father became disabled, my mother worked her butt off to make sure I had everything I needed. I can't thank her enough for everything she does for me. I think we both knew college was going to be a completely different monetary beast. My mother is an amazing woman who would give her soul for my happiness, but paying for my college is something I realized I never wanted to ask of her.
I quickly realized my freshman year the only way I was going to graduate college was by working and going to class. And that is exactly what I did. Throughout college, I have held one to two jobs at a time. One summer, I even worked for a paint crew that painted and patched up the student dorms. I painted the dorms that new students would soon call home. If that doesn't scream economic inequality, I don't know what does.
The balance of academics and a job seemed like a fight that could not win sometimes. I would work so much that when I got home, I had no energy to do any homework. I was so exhausted that I started sleeping through classes. My body started to break down. By the end of my sophomore year, I was so stressed that I had three deep ulcers in my stomach. I realized something needed to change, not just for me, but for every working class student that is fighting for their education.
At this point in my college career, my grades had begun to slip. My first priority became to take care of my body. Second priority-- my grades. I only worked a job enough to get by. I began the real fight for my education. The fight I ask every working-class student to step up and fight.
The reality of college to a working-class student is the hope to rise above our station. I will always respect where I came from, but there are many other places I want to go. College is the mirage of hope we hold that we can escape and make a better life. In reality, college is a trap for working-class students. Working class students work their way through college, often neglecting themselves and any social engagements, only to graduate in debt with an OK GPA due to us working through college.
We made it to college for a reason. The current system in place for financial aid is a flawed system that forgets about those of us whose families make "too" much money but often live paycheck to paycheck. Our families have their own bills to take care of. When it comes down to whether or not my parents are paying their rent or paying for my college, I want them to be taken care of first. Working-class students are here to gain an education and create a life that, maybe, someday we will be able to pay for our own kid's college.
We deserve a fair chance at an education. A chance to create the life we dream of. Being a working-class student feels like you are trying to pull yourself out of quicksand, and it never stops.
Support your working class. Stop pushing us further down. Funding is down 18 percent across the United States for higher education, and it continues to plummet. As the government cuts down funding, they are taking money away from those of us who are trying to reach our dreams.
Support the funding of higher education. Support the working class. Help us reach our dreams.
