Princess
Major in Fashion Design and Journalism, Lindenwood University
Hometown: St. Louis, MO

To reduce or eliminate the Access Missouri grant awards would be detrimental to my education. College means pursuing my educational goals and improving the overall quality of my life for me and my family. I am a single mother of a two year old and desperately need all the help and support from financial sources, such as this grant provides me with. To graduate from Lindenwood University with a BA and MA in Fashion Design and Journalism means being the second female in my immediate family to accomplish this extraordinary measurement. Lindenwood University and Washington University are the only two fashion programs in the state of Missouri, which means I would not qualify for the grant at either school because both are private universities.

If the state of Missouri eliminates Access Missouri for students like me, I would not be able to afford my tuition and likely would have to leave Lindenwood University. It also could force me to leave my home state of Missouri and transfer to an out-of-state university or drop out of college altogether. This would sadden me deeply because my educational dreams would be cut short, depriving me of the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of earning a degree. Students in private universities have just as much financial hardship as students elsewhere. The Access Missouri program plays a large part in pursuing my dreams. We need to protect it.