Sometimes We Need A Break by Oren

Sometimes We Need A Break by Oren - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

College is a high step in education that should be free to all because it is quite frankly a beautiful learning experience. Not only do you obtain knowledge you meet a hot pot of different individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life. This should be obtainable to everyone but the truth of the matter is, is that college is apart of capitalism and it is one of the most expensive things ever while also putting you in the most expensive debt you will ever be in. For instance I attend Drew University which is a private Predominantly White Institution (PWI) which brings high prices since it is private and most of the students are from families in the upper middle class and high class. My school’s tuition is almost forty thousand dollars and that is not including the extra fees, in total it cost almost fifty five thousand dollars to attend Drew University. The crazy thing is that, that is cheaper than before but that is still a chunk of money off your hip.
I am truly blessed since I do not pay nowhere near that amount because of my financial aid and federal grants. In all honesty if it was not for the aid that I received I probably would not have been in college or would have been struggling to get into it. Each semester I pay at most two thousand dollars which is still a lot due to the fact that I come from a single mother with three kids, not only do I need the money but my younger siblings also do. I would not say I have all the money in the world but I do have moral support from family and friends. When I look at the false image of me paying two thousand dollars a semester I remember that I have subsidized and unsubsidized loans that by my estimation I will be at least thirty thousand dollars in debt. Thirty thousand dollars? That money could be used to do so much more rather than being pay to a bank and that is not even adding the interest. This is one of the reasons why some people take gap years before and during college because they realize how expensive it really is and it is mind boggling the amount of money you will end up spending by the time you graduate.
My solution that pertains to me is to become a young entrepreneur so that I can control my own destiny without being bonded to certain limits and restraints. All my life I have always wanted to go into business and have ownership but I never knew what I wanted to go into an own until I got to high school. Once I figured out it was the greenlight to seek out and achieve my dream of being an entrepreneur because I made my first sale my junior year of high school. I made dad hats during my last two years of high school with my brand logo and people loved it, that even gave me more support to take the path of entrepreneurship. I had jobs in the past but I never stayed because I did not like how they would run their business so I took that to add to my arsenal so that I can run my business the way I would, to make the consumer and myself happy. A regular nine to five job is not me and I certainly am not going to force myself to do that because I am not a worker but a leader and creator. I rather have ownership and income from my own ideas instead of giving them up to someone else while I whither away working for them. During my gap year I would be working on myself and my brand so that I can start a company because that would help me pay for school. I would also travel because that within itself is a beautiful eye opening experience of new cultures. Most importantly it would be taking care of myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically so that I can come back even stronger and relaxed because college is truly a stressful life.
I will say this for the people in the back who are not listening or just do not understand but, loans leave you alone to be stressed, depressed, and broke. I can not give you something that I do not have or something I haven't earned yet. It truy does not make sense and needs to be fixed quickly because we are going to have a plethora of college graduates jobless ad buried under debt more than people buried six feet. Take your own destiny into your own hands even if it is risky because you can only truy find out if you try. Entrepreneurship is a huge leap of faith because it takes a lot of work but that leap will follow your faith if you put the needed work in. If you think it and believe it you can achieve it because no one cares about your dream until it becomes their reality so focus on your dreams. I always remember where and what I came from because that is how I stay true while also being grateful for this long journey. We all need a break sometimes and do not let college stop you.