Check out the testimonies our young adults gave in their fight to make federal funding for Illinois public universities more equitable:

I am Juan Martinez, a Community member in the South Side of Chicago. 

I am a DACA recipient who is trying to attend college. I come from a low-income family that doesn’t have the same opportunity as others. A family that works hard for the American dream, to see their children achieve their dream in the country but can’t because they don’t have the financial income to be able to support them. I’m here representing a whole community with dreams and aspirations to one day see financial freedom, but can’t because money is tight. This is the reality a lot of immigrant households have to face. They have to work long hours just to provide for their children’s future and still be able to put food on the table. 

College is not accessible to me because it’s so expensive. Growing up in an immigrant household college was never a serious thought because it was so out of reach. We as undocumented folks face a lot of barriers when it comes to attending school from not being able to apply for financial assistance, to scholarships being so competitive. This results in having to work many jobs to be able to save up for one semester including books, computers, wifi, book bags, all the essentials we need to thrive in those environments.  

–Juan M.

 

My name is Joanna Adjei. I am currently a senior at Loyola University Chicago. As a first-generation college student, I understand the power of education. In America, we’ve watched how education can have a positive effect on a person’s quality of life. Education is a right and not a privilege. Public education should be free because we are one of the richest countries in the world and we have the resources to set an example. Without quality education for all, we will pay the consequences later.

Studies show the lack of college education increases poverty which has a direct correlation with crime. We must act now to ensure a just system for all students in Illinois. Whether someone attended NIU or Urbana we should have the same funding from the state. We need an equal funding system in place that ensures we know exactly how funds are allocated.

–Joanna A.

 

I am Roberto Villasenor, a youth advocate for Young Invincibles and a current student at Western Illinois University.  I have recently learned about what an equitable formula in Illinois could look like from Young Invincibles.

Being a student throughout the COVID pandemic was a difficult time for any student. This really changed my experience as a student and some of the support that I needed such as mental health assistance and guidance for navigating the changing landscape of our education. For these reasons, I needed to take a step away from attending school.

Since then, I have been attempting to recover ground and momentum to finish my bachelor’s degree. I am currently attending Western Illinois University, one of the very few options available to me that provides affordable online classes that are relevant to my field of study. Here I can catch up with needed credits and regain lost time, money, and even confidence.

Western Illinois being able to offer these classes was a saving grace for me and a chance to continue my education at a time when some doors were beginning to close. 

I generally consider myself lucky to be able to regain my dream of attaining a college degree but I am still struggling nonetheless. I have met many other students of color who had to make difficult decisions about whether to continue their education due to concerns with cost, mental health, underfunded resources at universities, and the feeling of having to navigate college alone. Many are deciding not to return to school and I believe that with an equitable funding formula, we can begin to set supports in place to assist returning students to find a path to finish their education with all of the help they need.

Equitable funding would allow for more support for underrepresented students such as myself who have had to take time away from school and then find the right school with the right resources. Supporting equitable funding can improve all colleges across the state, amplifying the options available for young adults in Illinois, no matter their geographical location.

–Roberto V.

 

My name is Samantha Sancen, I am 21 years old and from the Quad Cities and I graduated from St. Ambrose University with a degree in Political Science and Theology. 

College is important to me because I am a first-generation American student. My parents and I believed that an education would grant me access to job opportunities and connections with my community. Finances were a major challenge in pursuing a degree. Like many students, I had to work multiple jobs and internships throughout college. To keep some of my scholarships I also had to be involved in extracurricular activities. As a first-generation and low-income student, I did not always know the right way to go about finances especially when school was not the only expense I had to cover. 

Equitable funding would ensure that students can continue to use partnerships between schools and community organizations. Equitable funding would lift the burdens that are placed on students. Colleges often have to decide who gets what resources and funding, leaving others with a low budget, smaller staff, and low priority. I believe equitable and sufficient funding could be a solution to a lot of these issues. For a university to fulfill its mission it needs sufficient resources. Equitable funding would ensure accountability and measure the progress of each institution which is especially for first-generation, low-income, or students of color who are often lost in retention efforts. I support an Equitable Funding Formula that ensures all students have their needs met and the support they need to achieve a college degree. 

–Samantha S.

 

My name is Sema Patel and I am a recent STEM graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Eldest child of two immigrant parents. While a student, it was very important for me to attend a university that could provide a learning environment that encompassed cultural competency from professors to peers addressing and accommodating to cultural differences. University of Illinois at Chicago had professors and teaching assistants from large diverse backgrounds and various cultural support spaces.

Although UIC was able to provide some supportive services for myself and other young adults coming from a first-generation immigrant household, I came across many gaps in cultural competency and resources as I progressed through my academic journey. 

Cultural and adequate resources were limited to the volume of students that could be supported.

Many students like myself who come from cultural backgrounds with various dietary restrictions face food insecurity as food halls lack nutrient-dense options for diets such as vegetarian, halal, and vegan. Nutrition is a key factor in academic performance. No young adult should face food insecurity or nutritional deficiency caused by the lack of resources and accommodations available at the university impacting their academic performance. This financial burden then falls onto students and can become very difficult for low-income students.

It is hard for universities even to create a culturally competent and accommodating environment for their students without equitable funding. I am grateful for UIC’s continuous efforts to expand cultural services but I know many young adults attending smaller universities or ones located outside the city face a larger gap in having a culturally competent learning environment and accommodations.

Being able to achieve my degree has impacted me positively in so many ways, such as equipping me with transferable skills in the workforce and competency in various areas of health care and research. This will help me play a role in improving the quality of life within our communities as well as finding post-graduate job opportunities within the university.

I have successfully been able to receive a degree through my hardships and perseverance. I believe that every young adult in Illinois should be able to receive a high-quality education, along with supportive services that allow them to just worry about being a student no matter the college they decide to go to without sacrificing their quality of life.

–Sema Patel

 

My name is Trevon Bosley I am a 25 year old Advocate with Young Invincibles, an advocacy organization empowering young adults to take action on issues they face in our higher education, workforce, and health care system. I am a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Alumni and I support an equitable funding formula. I come from a low-income, underrepresented, and violence-stricken community on the Southside of Chicago. I am one of many youth who saw college as an opportunity to escape the daily dangers and traumatic experiences that occur in our communities. I am one of many youth who saw college as a way to finally experience adequate resources, support, and facilities, unlike those experienced throughout grade school, high school, and resources directly in my community. Like many youth from the Southside of Chicago, I saw college as an opportunity to gain knowledge and tools that we can take back to our community to better the conditions we have once experienced. 

It wasn’t until I began searching for the best state universities to explore all of these opportunities, resources, and supports that I realized my options were far smaller than I had always been led to believe. These minimal choices were not because I did not have the academic merit to get into my school of choice, but because there were stark differences between the quality and quantity of resources available across universities. Although there were universities that offered appealing culture, staff, and environment they did not have the necessary funding for the different academic services, resources, or systems in place that I, or any young adult from the Southside of Chicago, would need to succeed in higher education. While I enjoyed the resources my alma mater offered for low-income youth like the SOAR program and Haley Scholarship, I know of other students that need even more support. Universities could do a better job of offering even more resources but that cannot happen when we aren’t equitably funding our universities and the resources they provide.

The current funding strategy creates the problem of having multiple students fighting to enjoy the expansive resources only one or two public colleges can offer while multiple other public colleges in the state of IL should have the funding to offer if not the same level of opportunities. An equitable funding formula in Illinois can begin to ensure that all young adults from any community have access to the resources, services, and support they need to succeed at any public institution, not just a few.  

–Trevon B.

 

My name is Zeina Ammar and I am a 21 year old first-generation college student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a young advocate with Young Invincibles. Young Invincibles is a policy advocacy organization working with 18-34 year olds, like myself, to inform and uplift our voices into the political process impacting issues important to us in higher education, workforce development, and healthcare.

I stand as a testament to the resilience and determination that defines a first-generation college student, a first-generation American, and a member of a hardworking, low-income family. A little bit about me: I am the oldest of three, and last year my sister graduated high school, she really wanted to join me at Urbana-Champaign but my parents couldn’t afford to send both of us to college. As a big sister, everything I do is for my siblings and to make sure their paths are easier than mine. I started my college journey in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, when I was like a fish out of water and had zero clue how to navigate my new environment. Throughout my college journey, there were many opportunities that I was not made aware of because the university didn’t prioritize the inclusion of students like me. And now as I am about to graduate, the MENA cultural center just barely opened on our campus. A community space like this would have immensely helped me at the beginning of my college experience.

To ensure that my sister would get a better experience and opportunity than me, I worked two jobs every semester and spent my summers working over 50 hours a week so my parents would only have to worry about putting one kid through college. At the moment, my sister is on the verge of losing her financial aid due to a very minimal increase in our parent’s income that cannot be subsidized for the expense of college. We are now at a very detrimental point in finding a way to ensure my sister has all the resources and funding to actually be able to complete her degree. Like many first-generation students, I am my sister’s support system for all of her needs as a student. It took my experience through hardship in receiving a high-quality education to be able to support my sister in every way possible, and if it was not for these experiences I am not sure how I would have supported my sister. I believe that every single university should have the systems and support in place to assist first-generation students like me, and all young adults across Illinois, through hardships to receive a quality education.

My story is not unique, but it is an example of the challenges and barriers faced by students like me — challenges that are exacerbated by the current structure of public university funding in our state. I think about all the Black and Brown kids I graduated 8th grade with and how I am one of five students who made it to college. Many were not able to find an educational institution that could support their needs and aspirations. For those who were able to pursue higher education, it is taking them years just to complete their associate’s degree, let alone a bachelor’s degree. Our challenges are not merely academic; they are deeply personal affecting our mental health, our financial stability, basic needs, and our futures. 

Back in 2009, Illinois set a goal to increase the proportion of adults with high-quality postsecondary degrees to 60% by 2025 as shared in the “60% x 2025 Goal” established by the Illinois P-20 Council. We are now nearing that year and there is a troubling disparity. While 47% of White adults have attained a postsecondary degree, the figure drops to 29% for African Americans and 20% for Latine adults. This is not just a statistic; it is a reflection of the barriers that continue to marginalize first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color. 

We are not asking for special treatment, we are asking for a fair chance to complete an education at any public university and not just a select few with the right amount of resources. I urge the Commission to act with courage and conviction. I urge electeds to consider the human stories behind the statistics. Investing in equity-centered funding is an investment in the future of our state and its people. 

–Zeina A.