I have always been told to follow my dreams. And my dream was moving to Los Angeles for college. But my wallet led me in another direction.
For an aspiring broadcaster and publicist like myself, L.A. is the place to be. Since I was 4-years-old, I imagined studying there would lead me the perfect job. In middle school, I started researching all of the colleges in the area. It was all I talked about, until now.
Just before I graduated from high school, I found out I got a full ride to a school close to home. That meant financial freedom — one of my top priorities. But not everyone thought I should give up my LA fantasy. A lot of my friends told me that I would pay off my loans eventually, but I didn’t want eventually. I didn’t want to be held back because of debt.
It was a tough decision, but in the end, I went with the money.
Not having to worry about finances will allow me to enjoy college. Making my LA dreams more of an affordable reality, just in time for grad school.