I was raised in a single-parent household, by my mother, along with my brother. We were economically disadvantaged because mother’s salary was not sufficient to cover the entirety of expenses, or provide for additional needs. Furthermore, we did not have financial support from my father, because my parents were divorced. There were times when my mother gathered financial resources from other family members, and public assistance to pay for expenses such as clothing, food, and utilities. Fortunately, I was able to receive loans and grants to pay for my tuition, because my mother could not afford to.
As a college student, I worked about 30 hours a week, in addition to a full course load, to cover other necessary expenses that my financial