Joey P.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“Back when I was applying for colleges, paying out of pocket wasn’t an option for my working-class family. My choices were get funding or don’t go. Thanks to the Pell Grant, I was able to attend UW-Green Bay and graduate as a more capable learner and engaged world citizen. Earning my bachelor’s degree empowered me to go on to a master’s at UW-Madison, something I never thought possible for myself.

Now I’m contributing to my alma mater as a staff member, building community as an elected official, and creating opportunity as a nonprofit founder. None of that would have been possible without the Pell Grant. I needed that support to break generational cycles, to climb out of poverty, to get to a place where I could make a difference. I have a dynamic, impactful life because of the education I was granted. It hurts to think that future students could be denied the opportunities that changed everything for me.”

Joey P.
UW-Green Bay

Joseph P

Pedro J.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“Simply put, financial aid has allowed me to attend college without worrying that my parents would need to completely drain their pockets just so I could receive education. I got to attend for FREE with the help of financial aid and scholarships! My friends wouldn’t be in college without receiving financial aid. Reducing access to financial aid would limit students attending college greatly.”

Pedro J.
UW-Madison

Alex P.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“My whole life I’ve known I would rely on federal financial aid to be able to go to college. My family has several kids and not enough money to go around, so my financial aid helps make sure I have food, housing, and an education.”

Alex P.
UW-Madison

Miles K.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“Coming from a reservation with only my mother, I’ve always been hyper-aware of our financial struggles. During my junior year, I feared I couldn’t afford college. Thanks to UW Madison’s tribal scholarship and the Pell Grant, my dream became real. My mother and I cried with joy. Now, I hold a 4.0 GPA and am deeply grateful for the opportunity. UW Madison has given me hope, community, and a future. I desperately need continued aid—it would shatter me to lose it. Please let me continue. I won’t let you down. Thank you for listening to me.”

Miles K.
UW- Madison

Miles K

Lydia M.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“While I started college my parents graduated with their bachelors in their 40’s. Me and my parents were navigating schooling at the same time. Coming from a single income family on a restaurant waiters income if I didn’t have federal aid college wouldn’t have been possible. Thankfully the aid I received made my college dreams true. Financial aid has allowed me to join a sorority my first year giving me my college support system and aid has covered my housing for my second year. If my aid was pulled I don’t know what my future would look like.”

Lydia M.
UW-Madison

Kylee V.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“Without the help from financial aid there was no way that I could’ve afforded my first year. But now there’s hope for a kid like me coming from a single parent household who’s also a first generation student. Now I can go to my dream college, and pursue my dream career.”

Kylee V.
UW-Madison

Mariana O.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“Financial aid was what even allowed me to have the chance to make something of myself. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to continue my education in order to become a therapist, which is very important to me. Without financial aid; we’re getting rid of opportunities for people.”

Mariana O.
UW-Madison

Mariana O

Adrian J.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“I was able to attend my DREAM school and make a life that I and my family are so proud of. Without financial aid, I would not have been able to experience the many amazing and once in a lifetime opportunities at UW-Madison. By taking this away, so many other first generation students will not be able to experience higher education and transform their lives.”

Adrian J.
UW-Madison

Lincoln M.

Posted on by nick.root.uwss.wisconsin.edu

“My dad is a teacher, my mom does not have a college degree; I come from a middle class family. Grad PLUS Loans were critical to me being able to afford grad school at UW-Madison.”

Lincoln M.
UW-Madison