Dear Mr./Mrs. President,

As a high school senior approaching college some concerns have come to me. I have watched my middle-class family calculate how to pay for my future education and I have applied to nearly a dozen scholarships for extra money. This is just for a public state school and concerns me because I have attended private school since preschool. Imagine how much stress families who have lower incomes go through trying to give their children the opportunity for higher education.Higher education is not a luxury. It is almost a necessity in order to make a comfortable income these days. Most high-paying jobs even require more than just the basic four-year degree.

It is no secret that the American economy needs improvement. An effective way to raise people out of poverty is to educate them. More educated Americans means that they have more job opportunities and can make more money. The taxes they pay and money they put into the market will fund the economy. The only issue is the price of education, even just for a state school.

The largest public state school in my home state of Utah costs roughly $9k for a resident that commutes to school. Compared to other schools that seems like nothing, but to the average american that makes about $50k annually (according to the 2014 census) that is twenty percent of their income. It is an even larger portion of income for families below the average. Students can take out loans, but they will most likely be unable to pay them off for a few years and rack up a decent amount of interest. Higher education needs to be better affordable in order to improve the economy for future generations.

The American tax dollars pay for school up to high school and it is worth consideration of using that money to fund basic tuition for all students at state universities. It is not a waste of money, but rather an investment in the people. It gives the citizens of the United States an opportunity to better their lives and the future of this country.

It is obvious that you had excellent education opportunities and ended up making a name for yourself. Would you consider the money put in your education to be wasted? Doesn’t it seem like you have been able to give back to your country and society with your education? Not everyone in this country is fortunate enough to have the same educational opportunities. Please take that into consideration as you enter this term as a model to the youth of America.

I hope you read this and if so, thank you sincerely for your time.

Allie E.