By Augustine Jimenez, Boston University, Class of 2020, and Achieve Atlanta Scholar
The American dream is easy to believe in when you do not have to pay for it.
As a first-generation, Mexican-American student with a single mother who works around the clock to make ends meet, it was always clear to me that my college experience would be different from some of my peers at Boston University. When I started the long
(and expensive) college application process, I knew that I wanted to attend an out-of-state school. But I also understood the difficult reality that my mother simply would not be able to help finance my education with her annual income.
Unlike students who take on the full financial burden of attending a private four-year college, I was blessed with a full-tuition scholarship to BU. As incredible and humbling as this achievement was, my family’s finances made it so there was still a
great worry in paying for room, board, and the numerous other costs of attendance that my scholarship did not pay for. Just getting to Boston from Atlanta, with my necessary belongings, was a financial challenge that I had to find a solution for every
year.
This is the limiting financial situation that many Pell Grant-eligible students can face. My personal experience reflects an unfortunate truth; if I had not been able to secure several other scholarships during my senior year of high school, including
the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship, I could have easily graduated college with $40,000 in debt rather than the modest federal student loan debt I currently owe.
My maxed-out Pell Grant was one of the programs that allowed me to escape our country’s spiraling student debt crisis by graduating nearly debt-free. But the Pell Grant’s biggest impact on my life was not just a check to my school. My relatively low debt
allowed me to pursue a career in nonprofit work, instead of a higher-paying job in the private sector. The Pell Grant helped give me a greater level of financial freedom than many of my classmates at BU had.
This freedom from tremendous financial worries allowed me to pursue a truly rewarding career, despite its lower pay. During my college journey, I met many students who struggled between finding a job that they were passionate about and one that allowed
them to make their debt payments.
The Pell Grant gives many first-generation, low-income students like me a greater chance to attain a degree. But the maximum grant’s purchasing power is at an all-time low. At its peak in the 1970s, the maximum Pell award covered more than three-fourths
of the average cost of attendance – tuition, fees, and living expenses – for a four-year public university. Today, it covers less than 30% of that cost.
By doubling the maximum Pell Grant, Congress could offer students the chance to begin a career without crushing debt.
Despite the financial challenges that I faced in the pursuit of my degree; I’m committed to a career in public service. I can only imagine how much better off our country would be if more students had the greater financial freedom to choose a career that
they love.
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