Week 13 Reading

In the pool people I have met while going to college, all have worked at least part time if not completely full time. Most of them were not in any extracurricular activities either. Some of them had familial responsibilities, like Ian from the book, in which they had to care for family members. Also, in the book, all students interviewed also worked at some point. What I found devastating was that,“… sociologist Robert Bozick found that working more than 20 hours per week during the first year of college is associated with higher dropout rates” (232). My first year at CCP I was focused on catching up, having scored into a remedial English class. My wonderful professors along with my hardworking peers inspired me to continue my education. Accepting to go to college as my parents desired, they also did not want me having a job so I could focus on school. Over the summer before my second year at CCP, I got a job at my local supermarket. The shifts were from nine to three, though during the first 2 weeks of the month (when food stamps recharged) I would often stay overtime. Working there consisted of staying on my feet the entire time while dealing with bad managerial organization and professionalism. The drama within my coworkers along with the physical draining aspect of this job left me completely exhausted after work every day. I was earning 7.25 an hour there (time and a half overtime) and often times scheduled 12 days in a row. Despite that, I was planning on working there for at least two years, while I got my associates degree. However, after getting accused of stealing money (which was cleared as they had miscounted), I quit two weeks before school started again. I then went through a series of jobs, most of which had similar problems. It was not until in the following summer that I found a job I could see myself working at. I was working full time, even though I was technically only a part time worker, while also taking on a full-time course load That semester my grades suffered tremendously. I found myself, like Stacey from the book, with not enough time to even sleep leading me to the head bobbing. Like Anne, every time I planned on going to office hours, something would come up (work or family related). My scheduled days off revolved around doctor visits with my mom to translate. Though I did not do as bad as I thought, I was still ashamed I did not do better. The educational experience for students who have to work among other responsibilities is stripped of most of its glamour. Working tied with responsibilities can make students feel the urgency of needing more money, now. For students with these types of responsibilities, the educational experience only extends to the class/professor/classmate assemblage. Where time cannot be allocated to extracurriculars for a sense of belonging, that feeling and inspiration has to be found within the class. At least for me, having passionate professors inspire me indirectly to keep going.

The generalization, from the financial aid system, that parents support their children during college is way too broad. As stated in the book, “The students in this study are not unusual. Young adults are often critical sources of support to their families, especially low-income families, to which they frequently contribute money, time, or both” (182). This highlights the ‘obligation’ to family students from low-income have. A few pages after, it is stated that this notion represented about a 1/3 of the students in this study and that there is a cycle where the young adults support their family more than they are supported (185). As a means to get his brother off the streets, Ian used some of his money to put his brother through some college courses. The brother was grateful because they understood the importance of influence. Alicia, another student in the study, would regularly provide financial assistance to her family even though she had a daughter and was supporting herself and her child through school. In Alicia’s case, added responsibilities and hardships began to pile up without much help from her family. Despite her optimism to get through school until she got her masters, the financial aid system is what failed failed her. Assumed parent support is unrealistic and unfair to those who the financial system was put in place to help. I am extremely fortunate to be able to say I have my family’s financial and emotional support in my education. We are by no means rich, or even middle class, or have an abundance of money. However, I have parents who have had access to resources which taught them to be financially responsible in terms of credit. My parents have debts of their own and are willing to add on to it for my education, but this in itself feels wrong and unnecessary. I am grateful that my worries never come down to if I can continue my education because I know that I have who to fall back on. My worries and stresses go to how I will pay, financially and emotionally, my family back for supporting me in such a tremendous way. Working to not be a financial burden (as far as living expenses) on my family and emotionally being there for my family, specifically my mother who is now thankfully in remission from breast cancer are my ways of ‘repaying’ them now. I wonder what is the average debt of parents whose children are receiving financial aid?