Now I'm able to pursue my dream. As I prepare to take this next step, it’s a comfort having uAspire there to help me along the way and keep me on track.
I recently applied to college and I got into some of my dream
schools as the first person in my family [to go to college]—Boston
College, Tufts, and Northeastern—which I'm really proud of. They're
also very expensive schools. I wasn't very confident about the
college process, but that's when I was introduced to uAspire.
Emma and Jen, my advisors, were always texting me, making sure
I was on track with my financial aid steps, whether it was filling out
the FAFSA and the CSS Profile or uploading documents like a tax
return. They were always available to support me which helped me
to focus on school my senior year because, especially throughout
this pandemic, it was really tough.
I remember one night Emma and I stayed on the phone for two
hours calling financial aid offices describing my family’s complex
financial situation. We reached out to each school and, at first,
talking to these people over the phone was outside of my comfort
zone. But I was pushed to do these things and I developed a skill
set that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise—the ability to advocate
for myself. I think it's going to be important to me in the future and
I'm proud to have developed that.
I’m really grateful for the counseling and the mentorship I received.
One of my favorite parts about uAspire is that they are very
accepting and nonjudgmental. It's tough to discuss finances with
other people, but we were able to develop trust, ask any questions
we had, and it just made the whole process comfortable for us.
Now I'm able to pursue my dream. As I prepare to take this next
step, it’s a comfort having uAspire there to help me along the way
and keep me on track.