Dear Future President,

As you may know the cost of college tuition has tripled since the 90’s. The year 2014-2015 the average tuition increase was 3.7 percent at a private college, and 2.9 percent at a public university, according to The College Board. For many of us seniors, that’s a problem and one of the most stressful thing for us thus far, is trying to figure out a way to pay for college. Living in a less fortunate city like Flint, Michigan is even harder because most families are struggling to even survive. Why should we have to pay for trying to be successful, and trying to better ourselves by going to college?

For many minorities like myself, we have a tougher time affording college just because of who we are. “In 2013, the average number of African Americans that took out loans was 42 percent”, according to ThyBlackMan. As an African American female we have a higher standard to keep. We are the most successful dominate group that finishes college. African Americans alone had $30,000 in debt in the year of 2013-2014. If debt was that high in 2013-2014 then I’m pretty sure it’s even higher in the year of 2016. There are many scholarships out there for my ethnic group but scholarships still doesn’t cover the whole tuition cost. If scholarships doesn’t pay for all of your tuition, that should tell the government and colleges that it shouldn’t be so expensive. Education is something that we need to be successful so why should it be such a barrier for us?

Not being able to afford college puts the future workforce in jeopardy. How are future generations supposed to achieve getting a degree if they can’t afford to get a higher level of education? So, to whom the next president may be, can you consider working on this issue that affects the world now and the future generations?

Sincerely, Shamiyah Chapman