The COVID-19 pandemic has become an international crisis that has significantly altered every facet of my life. As a student leader, it has also been the most difficult thing I have dealt with during my tenure. The pandemic hit like a flash flood—one day we were going about business as normal and the next we…

As a graduating senior at the University of Central Florida (UCF), my favorite part about being on campus is getting to network with a group of students that are all in the same walk of life as me. This is extremely evident at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management that I have been so lucky…

For many college seniors, we are often asked, “what’s next for you?” Now more than ever it is an overwhelming and loaded question. Not having an exact plan can be both scary and frustrating. This question that makes students feel anxious and alone is now a shared one. A question many are asking themselves around…

Here I lay on my pyre, contemplating change and my eventual rise. My rise was not certain because I was dying a slow death of isolation, shame, and the contempt that surrounded me.  Higher education saved my life. Access to higher education counteracts these circumstances and this is not an exaggeration. I challenge the reader…

The month of September signals change. It is the beginning of a new season, and for many, it is the start of a new school year. One thing that has not changed, however, is the reauthorization status of the Higher Education Act (HEA). This act is essentially the framework for how institutions of higher learning…

The dictionary definition of persistence is having a “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty and oppression.” For many college students in America, that definition accurately describes their college experience. Gone are the days when average students could aim to attend college out of pocket and stress-free while being…

I remember having a conversation with my mother when I was first considering college as a young teen. She urged, “Yo quiero lo mejor para ti. I want you to have the best education–to have a better life than I could ever make for myself. I want to be there to see mi hijo (my…

In September 2017, I graduated from The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP) with a bachelor’s degree in Health Informatics. Though I had completed the program online, I drove nearly 200 miles from my home in San Antonio, Texas, to the graduation ceremony in Houston. That might seem like a lengthy drive, but it was…

Editor’s Note: In this video narrative, Carthage College student Daquawn Bruce discusses his experience as a financially independent student and community college transfer. This story is Daquawn Bruce’s video submission to Higher Learning Advocates’ Voices of Today’s Students, a national campaign to educate policymakers about the demographic shift and experiences of the modern higher learning…

“There’s never enough time!” As a parent and student, I say this to myself nearly every semester, but yet I keep signing up for a full course load. I guess I must be a glutton for punishment, as I barely have free time to begin with without the added pressures of taking four classes. You…