'We are the future': Students react to proposal that would slash thousands in financial aid
It was late at night in December 2018 when Andy Flores discovered an opportunity that would change his life.
The senior at Ocean Springs High School was searching the internet for college scholarships when he came across a result for an aid program on the website for Mississippi’s Office of Student Financial Aid. The description said the program paid for all four years of college.
Flores was intrigued. The son of Panamanian and Mexican immigrants, he was the first in his family to apply for college, much less attend. Flores knew he was smart, but whether his family could afford to pay for college was another matter entirely.
Huddled over his laptop, Flores read through the qualifications for the Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) grant: A 20 or higher on the ACT? Check — Flores had scored a 33. A GPA better than 2.5? Check. Coming from a household making less than $39,500? Check.
Read more: https://mississippitoday.org/2021/10/21/mississippi-students-proposed-college-aid-program-cuts/