“Gwamma, what do you want to be when you gwow up?” Pleased that my four-year old granddaughter thought I was young enough to still have a choice, I told her I should have been a veterinarian and asked if she knew what that was.

“Yes,” she told me. “It means you would take care of puppies, cats, and kittens.”

“That’s right”, I told her.

Almost without a pause, she kept on speaking. “When I gwow up, I want to be a teachew,” she told me. “Because to be a gwamma, you have to be owd, owd, owd!”

So much for feeling young.

Why didn’t I follow my dream? Because as a high school student without much self-esteem, I really needed someone to tell me I could. Despite my apparent affinity in working with both large and small animals on our family’s ranch, my ability was pretty much taken for granted.

Fortunately, when my oldest daughter got to the same point, her musical talent was not only apparent and recognized, it promised to help pay for a large part of her college education. And while some might point out there aren’t many who make a living in the competitive music industry, we had learned graduate schools for medicine of all kinds (which she found of strong interest) are at least as likely to choose students with a well-rounded foundation as they are to pick, for example, biology majors.

If you have an upcoming college student or a current college student not sure where to focus, help your student assess his/her interests and strong abilities. And don’t forget you know your child better than anyone else. Sometimes, it’s just an encouraging word that will make all the difference, for both of you.

I am College Mom in Debt.  I am 48 years old.  

Both my husband and I were the first generation in each of our families to secure a four year college education.  I remember the sacrifices my parents made to get me to and through college.  And my husband remembers the personal sacrifices he made as he made his own way through while in the military and after completing military service. 

Together my husband and I are paying it forward as we support the next generation in getting four year degrees.   We have succeeded in getting one daughter through college, have one in college and have one who will go to college in about seven years.

And yes, we are in debt over the endeavor of helping finance our daughters’ educations, but we consider it good debt as our oldest is already independent and finding her own ways to pay it forward.

I am writing about my experiences and observations in the AffinityCare Student Assistance Plan in hopes that other parents and their students will be helped by them.

Hi! My name is Nicholas and I am an upcoming freshman at Northwest University in Washington State. It has been a dream of mine to go to this school ever since I first decided to become a youth pastor during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year in high school.  I intend to major in youth ministries at school.

The best part about going to college is not having to pay for it! How you ask? Well last winter I applied for the Act Six Scholarship which is for students who are leaders and want to learn how to be a leader through the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Sounds easy right? Well it took a lot of hard work and time, as do all scholarships. Even through the summer, work is required, what I mean by this is meetings every Tuesday and plenty of homework. Yet it is the least I can do, I mean this foundation is paying my way through college and all they ask is that I do the work and make a lasting impact on my community.

Enough about me, I am here to share ideas with you guys on how to get prepared and through college and don’t worry I’ll be trying to do the same thing myself.

Thanks for reading the blog!

firstgencollegekid

Hello, I am Miss RunningStart. I am a senior in high school. I am registered at a small public high school focused on math and science in the Seattle area. Athough I am a high schooler, I have been taking fulltime college courses as a Running Start student at a local community college for a year.

Running Start allows high school students to not only graduate with their high school diploma but also an AA/AS/AB. Washington State pays for up to 18 credits a quarter for junior and senior high school students enrolled in the Running Start Program.  Washington State has offered the program since 1990. It is well accepted at most private and public universities in the United States. In fact my older sister wishes she had done it because the private college she attended in the midwest accepts running start credits.

I am planning on applying to Whitworth University, a small private college in Spokane, WA, for my junior and senior years to get a BA in early childhood education.

I am a member of AffinityCare Student Assistance Program and am happy to share some of my experiences in this Student to Student blog.

I welcome comments and feedback.