uAspire

Meet Yue

As an alumni of the Boston Public Schools and a first-generation college graduate, I often reflect on my own struggle to afford college, and how fortunate I was to find uAspire and now be able to “pay it forward,” serving high school seniors. I tell my students, “It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you end up.”

Advisor

Meet Richard

Ten years ago, I was a confused senior at Charlestown High School. Today, I am a proud college graduate and uAspire College Affordability Advisor. Every day, I work with low-income students across Massachusetts to make their dreams of college a reality, just like my uAspire advisor, Chris, did for me ten years ago.

Advisor

Meet Breanna

Just one conversation can be the difference in a student making a smart college choice that will leave him or her on solid financial footing upon graduation—versus not even trying for college.

Advisor

Meet Melissa

Being a first-generation college student has helped me understand the challenges faced by the young people I advise. Both my parents are immigrants from Haiti. My mom, from as far back as I can remember, was like ‘if you don’t go to college, you can’t live here.’ It was funny, but it helped reinforce what was expected of me.

Advisor

Meet Jasmine

I always knew I would go to college, but the path to get there was not clear. Because my mom didn’t go to college, I couldn’t turn to her for guidance.

Advisor

Meet Melissa

Students were afraid that they could no longer afford college because their parents, and in many cases, the students themselves lost their jobs.

Advisor

Meet Victoria

When students moved to virtual learning they were worried they’d get distracted being at home with their whole family.

Advisor

Meet Redjan

When campuses closed in the spring, everyone was struggling to get clarity from the colleges about what was going on because things were changing so quickly.