WSU Senior '14
To whom it may concern,
This past year has been a struggle for me. From the end of winter semester I have been trying to set myself up to graduate this year. I had an outstanding balance for my summer tuition that would have stopped me from being able to take classes in the fall. On top of losing my job and having no car to get to campus, the August flood hit where I was a tenant and the outcome of this occurrence caused me great despair and I did not know what to do.
And then came the hope from the HIGH Program.
At the end of August my advisor encouraged me more than ever not to quit, and she mentioned a program that might be able to help me, the HIGH Program. I first spoke to Cecila Williams, who upon hearing about my dilemmas, offered an opportunity for housing, transportation, tuition assistance, and much more. She asked me to fill out a request form and attach an email explaining my dilemmas. Within days I received an email alerting me that my outstanding balance at WSU had been paid.
I was able to start classes by week three of the semester, but the pressure of having to catch up began to build. At first I was able to secure transportation and get to campus for classes and even on my days off and each weekend. While on campus I was able to use the student computers and the professors' textbooks that are supplied at the reference desk available for students to checkout for two hour blocks. I found myself getting to campus as early as 6:30 a.m. and leaving as late as 10:30 p.m. in order to be able to complete my weekly intensive writing papers, complete website/online homework for a second class, and study for my other two science classes using YouTube with the school’s computers. But the absence of a laptop and adequate school supplies and consistent transportation problems took its toll as all my grades began to drop.
It was week seven of the semester when I had to bow my head in humility and request any possible additional assistance that the HIGH program could give me. The response was positive, hopeful and immediate. Because my greatest need was a laptop, the HIGH Program began their search for this essential tool and my stress level abated to a certain degree. And when I got the email saying that a laptop was available for me I felt as if now my graduation was not a far-off goal but instead it was something attainable.
The help I received from the HIGH Program truly did make a difference in my ability to pursue my degree that I have been working on for over ten years on and off. Now I am able to move forward in my career and life plans. I feel that I could not have achieved nearly the same result without the HIGH Program's intervention.
I hope that the HIGH Program may continue to benefit students that have great need and that all may have the same blessing that I have had.
Sincerely and thankfully,
WSU student