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| Emily Jones |
“We
had barely been able to make ends meet most months, and the idea of going to a
four year college was something of a pipe dream to me.”
Feeling
hopeless, Emily made an appointment at the CareerCenter.
When
she met with her counselor, Emily said, “she listened to my concerns about
school and helped me with an important decision. She encouraged me to choose a
four-year college since continuing my education was important to me.”
The career counselor also helped Emily choose the school that was not only a
good fit, but would also assist her the most financially. She signed Emily up
for the Workforce Investment Act Youth Program because of her family’s low
income and helped her apply for scholarships.
Emily is about to go into her third year of nursing at the University of Maine
at Orono.
And
because of the CareerCenter's help, Emily has been successful and, for the
first time, doesn't have to worry about money.
“Without
the Workforce Investment Act, as well as the generosity of the scholarships,
going to school wouldn’t have been as stress-free as it has been so far,” she
said. “Unlike my classmates, I have zero dollars of student loan debt at the
present moment. This allows me to concentrate on my studies instead of worrying
about the costs of my education.”
Today,
the CareerCenter is still something Emily uses for help when filling out her
FAFSA for financial aid.
“They
also have computers available, with printers, which makes it easy to print
things off for scholarships,” she said. “The staff members are always very
friendly when I come in and always willing to lend a hand.”
Emily
is thankful to the CareerCenter for opening up her eyes to the possibility of
making college doable and affordable for her and her family.
“A lot of people look at going on to higher
education as something out of their financial means. School can definitely be
expensive, but it doesn't have to be,” she said. “There is plenty of aid
through grants or scholarships. Don’t be afraid to apply for those things
simply from fear of being turned down. You might just get it.”
