Dear Mr./Mrs. President,

My name is Sara W., and I am currently a 9th grader attending Greenwich High School in Connecticut. I will be talking to you about the significant issue of affordable education in the U.S., something I believe you have the power to change.

Affordable education, specifically college tuition, is a huge issue in today’s world, and it is something that needs to be less expensive in order to ensure that everybody can gain the knowledge they need. I strongly believe that the wealth of one should not give one the right to an education any more than a poor one - and yes, education should be a right to all. This is because I understand how much education changes one’s life. Education is the key to success, and it is so important that college is made affordable so that this generation can change the future and make a positive impact on the world. We have to ensure that this generation has all the tools necessary in life to come in the real world. After all, they will be the next teachers, lawyers, politicians, preachers, parents, etc.

While I hear some saying things like “I hate school”, “Ugh, it’s Monday”, or “I don’t want to go”, others would do anything for the education we have and spend every last penny they have ever earned for it. Although sometimes I may come to school annoyed and not wanting to go, I have been thinking to myself a lot lately, “Where would I be without my education?” This is exactly what many people are going through everyday as a reality. Without money, and thus, without a tuition.

You may be thinking, “Why is education the ‘key to success’?” To further clarify this, learning from others, different events, and in different subjects allows you to gain the education necessary in the real world. Without this, you cannot get a good job. To prove this, "The unemployment rate for Americans with bachelor’s degrees or higher is just 3.2 percent, compared to a national average of 61 percent." (http://www.pbs.org/). This shows that although it is proven that those with an education are far more likely to become employed, far more people are still not going to college today due to the cost. In fact, "millions of students and families every year are forced deeper into debt to make up the difference—around $100 billion a year is borrowed through a cottage industry of private and publicly-funded loan programs." (http://www.cnbc.com/). This results in a total debt of more than about $1.2 trillion. This is a horrific issue in society, and will only get worse. I am not saying that it must be free, but made more affordable. This is because I understand completely that if nobody paid any money, society would not work as a whole to build or make any progress. This generation will be ruling our country in the future, and we need them to be educated now so that they can thrive and help others and our nation later.

Thank you so much for your time, and I hope you see this issue as significant as a problem as I do, because I believe a president has the power to make a change along with others willing to help. Sincerely,

Sara W.