The first anniversary of the recession has just passed. This, however, does not mean that people are still not struggling with money and financial problems.
For Cabrini students and one sophomore chemistry major in particular, Danielle Gordon, the day-to-day stress of worrying about money and family problems certainly takes its toll.
On top of tuition payments, Gordon, a new mother, has much more on her agenda to worry about.
“Paying for school is a struggle. I not only have to support myself, but I also have to support my parents who live in Jamaica and my daughter in addition to paying for school,” Gordon said.
Commuting to Cabrini from her home in north Philadelphia, Gordon comes to school each day to focus on her work only to return home, pick her daughter up from daycare and then proceed to her job at Wendy’s where she sometimes works until 2 or 3 a.m.
Gordon is lucky if she finds a few minutes to catch up on sleep each day between running from school to her job and tending to her daughter in the meantime.
While it is easy to become overwhelmed, Gordon takes it one day at a time.
Because of train and shuttle schedules, it takes Gordon two hours each way to and from Cabrini.
“I want to quit sometimes. It’s really hard. I have to worry if she is okay while I’m at school,” Gordon said.
Gordon is certainly not the only college student affected by the recession. According to U.S. News and World Report, only 28 percent of college students were in no way disrupted by our country’s economy.
This leaves the remaining 72 percent of current college students struggling to keep their heads above water when it comes to financing their education.
Because of the price of tuition alone, 53 percent of students were faced with the decision to attend a less expensive school. This statistic especially concerns students who chose to attend a private school such as Cabrini as opposed to a cheaper public or state school.
Students like Gordon are trying to stay optimistic during these trying times.
“I’m the first in my family to graduate from high school and I’ll be the first to graduate from college. I want my daughter to have the best future possible and in order to do that, I need to go to school and stay determined,” Gordon said.
