I am a full time Cal State Long Beach student and work full time as a private violin instructor, sacrificing and struggling to pay for higher education.
My story is not unique, but rather the story of many people attending this university. However, they are not speaking up about the wrong that is being done to us. I am not afraid to say furloughs are an unnecessary injustice.
I grew up in a lower-middle class, Latino family. As a child, I was told that if I received high grades I would be able to attend the college of my dreams and become successful.
My parents failed to tell me that money set a limit on my dreams. I was not aware of this brutal truth until I was applying for USC and NYU.
The cost of tuition was significantly more than my mother’s annual income. Not wanting to hurt my family, I let go of this idea and applied for CSULB.
My divorced parents split the payments of the installment plan until a couple years ago. It hurts me to know that there are others being deprived of the education they deserve and have worked so hard for.
To Whom It May Concern:
Give me all the tools I need to succeed beyond this institution.
Give me what I paid for.
Sincerely,
An average CSULB student,
Joanna Velazquez,
senior violin performance and music education major