College is for Everyone, invest in YOU!

As a Florida High School Graduate, I started off going to a small community college because my family could not send me away to Tuskegee University. I worked menial jobs to pay tuition for a year before I decided to transfer to Temple University.

I was determined to get to a 4-year University and nothing would get in my way, not even being young, black and broke. I continued working through my first 2 semesters at Temple and began to receive financial aid after becoming a resident of the state. This opened up Pell Grants and other Goverment funded aid such as subsidized and unsubsidized loans. The important thing to note here is that none of this aid is available without completing a Federal and State application for student aid (see the link below). Make it your first priority after completing the college application.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Private aid is available through various corporations and not-for-profit organizations. This money is usually free as long as you somehow qualify for it. Here are just a few examples of the qualifiers:

1) You are a Native American Indian
2) Your Mother or Father is a Veteran of the Armed Forces
3) You are of Vietnamese descent

Be prepared to complete an application and write an essay about whatever the provider requests. Don't be afraid here, your effort is well worth the free money. To find out more on these programs go to http://www.fastweb.com/

I should note one thing before moving on, you do not have to pay anyone to find you free money for college. So beware of people offering to find you money for a charge.

What I find most disturbing about why African Americans do not attend college is that they do not believe they can afford it. The truth of the matter is that the money is there if you want to work for it. By that I mean either you will be doing research to find aid, completing applications, writing essays and perhaps working hard after you complete college to pay off loans you took. That's right, you can borrow moeny for college just as quickly as your parents, and sometimes they are not as nearly as motivated as you about sending you off to school.

All that you will do to make that tuition payment will be paid for multiple times over when you get the gratification of receiving your Degree, start a career earning real money and making your place at the economic table, not to mention that you have likely stretched your mind to new and different places that you could not imagine before attending college. You will be a better person and make smarter life decisions when all is said and done. I have personally experienced all of these things on the path to obtaining my Masters Degree from Pace University and would not trade any of it for the world! I am from the same town, streets or ghetto as the next Black American. If I can get this far so can you!