Coming up short for college funds!

My name is Xavier Richardson and I am a recently admitted student at the University of Texas at Austin, Class of 2020.

I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, but my dream has always been to further my education at a prestigious university like UT Austin. I am majoring in English and plan to earn my doctorate in order to become a college professor. 

I will be entering UT Austin this August as a first generation college student. My mom had me at the age of seventeen and was unable to attend college due to the hardships of having a child as a teenager, which was made worse as my biological father left us before I was born.

My mom met my dad when I was five years old and he stepped up to be not only a father figure, but my dad. He was in the top ten of his high school graduating class and was accepted into Texas A&M University. Unfortunately, the lack of funds for a college education forced him to drop out of Texas A&M without earning his degree.

Along with my mom and dad, I live with my four younger siblings, two brothers and two sisters. My brother, who will be turning nine this July, is diagnosed with high-functioning autism, while my six year old sister has Down syndrome. Having a family with children with special needs, in addition to the absence of a college education in the family, has caused us economic hardships consistently throughout our lives. 

While facing these economic hardships, we have always tried to use what we have even if it wasn't necessarily enough, and with my college expenses thrown into the mix, our situation hasn't grown any better. My parents have put in an exceptional effort into making a better life for my family, even if it wasn't the most economically secure decision for us. About seven years ago, my family moved into the suburban area of Helotes, where I came to attend and graduate from a very competitive high school. Although my family couldn't necessarily afford to live in such an affluent area, education was put as a top priority in our household. I would always see kids at school wearing expensive clothing or hear about them going on exotic vacations, and while I would have liked to have what my peers did, I was still content with what I already possessed. I had a family that loved me dearly and just enough money to get by, but not really anything extra, because things such as medical expenses for my siblings with special needs took priority over having an excess of material goods. 


When it came to my senior year of high school, my mind was set on college basically 24/7. I kept up with my grades and applied for many colleges and scholarships, and even though I graduated 92nd in my class of 711 students, I ended up at the bottom of the pile in the endless struggle for scholarship money. Despite my numerous hours of volunteer service through National Honor Society and devotion to my coursework, I was outshined by my fellow students and missed out on a lot of free money for college. A portion of my costs of attendance will be covered by federal financial aid, but the rest is to come from college loans. With my family's poor credit record, the parental college loans were denied, and I ended up coming about $6000 short in my college funds. In response to this, I have been working about 50 hours a week since the beginning of the summer at a local McDonald's, but most of that money goes to helping my family put food on the table and trying keep our home. Recently, my hours at work have been cut, so I am now searching for a second job to make up for the loss. 


I have still managed to come up short, and I am not sure if I will have enough money to make it through my first year of college. My basic tuition for attendance  and on campus housing is expected to be mostly covered by my loans, however, I will still need to pay for expenses including food, books and other school materials such as a laptop that will help me be successful in college.


Securing the proper amount of funding would also help me focus on classwork rather than how I am going to pay for the actual classes. It would be an honor to be able to break through the financial barriers my parents have faced and make the cost of their struggle to give me a better life well worth it. I am reaching out for help in a last effort to achieve not only my own dreams, but also those of my parents and the rest of my family members in the quest for distance from economic hardship.

I would be extremely grateful for anyone who is willing to contribute. No amount is too small and anything will help. Most of all, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day and giving me the chance to share my story. If you can't contribute, I welcome you to share with others, it's free but just as helpful. Thank you!