See there’s someone out there who understands me!

I’m not the only one who fully values the importance of education and my decision to transfer to American to complete my M.A. in Education! Earl G. Graves, Sr. Black Enterprise’s publisher, loudly affirmed in his September 2006 publisher’s page that “Giving Up on College Is Not an Option” Though I love my family, continuing my M.A. in Economics studies at American was indispensable towards achieving my long-term goal of earning a Ph.D. I, too, was hit with sticker shock after seeing American’s tuition cost at $1048 is the most in Washington, DC, but my employer paid for one class and loans covered the remainder. In addition, I have applied for scholarships on a weekly basis, will subscribe to the Foundation Center’s Grants for Individuals Online this Friday to obtain more funding sources, and will actively use my Arlington library card this Saturday to retrieve more scholarships.

The publisher reminisced on his college days at Morgan State where he attended school full-time and work numerous jobs to finance his education. At least I am lucky that my employer paid for one course and six of my MBA credits can be transferred, allowing me to receive my M.A. in Economics degree through part-time study. I am truly blessed to be in a position where I can pay out-of-pocket for my community college math lessons and still maintain a decent standard of living.

Quit is not in my vocabulary and honestly I cannot see myself with only one semester of education. Following through has always been my priority and I know that my sacrifice will help my children and grandchildren. My economist job and salary are the direct results of higher educational attainment. Without my BA, I would not have been an economist and without my MBA, I would not have commanded ZP-II; and, without a $45,000 salary, I could have forgotten about living in a decent apartment and saving for college. I would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. Mr. Graves is right by quoting the old adage of “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”