Why I Gave My Son Permission to Drop Out of High School

We see a child in a maple treeWe’re watching him climb,You and I.You say, “Come down,You’ll hurt yourself!”I say, “Go upYou’re touching the sky!” –…

Let’s Celebrate Scholarships and Financial Aid Like We Celebrate College Acceptance

This is the time of the year that high schools, parents and students are proudly boasting about their acceptance into colleges and universities. Acceptance to…

I Didn’t Think I’d Ever Be Able to Afford College, But Now I Have a Full Ride to Brown

Growing up in Houston, I knew I was capable enough for college. I earned straight A’s in high school and possessed an insatiable drive to…

Some Students Can’t Afford to Leave Money Behind When Applying to College

When you grow up as I did with meager means—with a household income of less than $50,000 for a family of five—you pinch pennies, frequent…

You Shouldn’t Have to Pay a College Entrance Fee to Live the American Dream

I never thought about how my college was going to be paid for. None of my friends wondered about how their colleges would be paid…

Just Because You Don’t Have Papers Doesn’t Mean Your Dreams Stop at High School

Way back in 2004, long before the Obama administration implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), I studied Spanish with Yesica, a woman from my…

My Undocumented Students Have Invested in Our Country. We Should Invest in Them.

At the end of my first year of teaching, Maria, one of my sixth-graders, wrote this to me: Before you, school just wasn’t my thing.…

Illinois Makes Paying For College Harder for Low-Income Students, But We Can Fix That

In 1991, I was admitted to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. My mother worked as a telephone operator and didn’t have the money to pay…

If Politicians Won’t Step Up To Lead the Fight For Free College Tuition, Students Will.

Across the country, states like New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee are eliminating college tuition to help more students earn a higher education. But…