Students’ Advice: ‘There’s Always a Way’

Often, the best people to give advice to high school students about college are those who know, from firsthand experience, what it takes to get into college despite financial hardship or other barriers. The following college students from Central Los Angeles offered their suggestions to students who are considering post - secondary education.

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In January, Los Angeles High School student Marina Bonilla was featured in a City Times article because she was scrambling for scholarships that would allow her to attend her dream school--UCLA.

Despite her 4.0 grade-point average, Bonilla was prepared to attend a two-year college because she knew her parents could not afford to spend more than a few hundred dollars a year on her college education.

But Bonilla’s scrambling paid off. Now a freshman at UCLA, she encourages students from similar backgrounds to seek out scholarships and all possible sources of financial aid before they give up on their college dreams.

“A lot of people I know had the potential and grades to go (to college), but they ended up not going because of money,” said Bonilla, 18, a Mid-City resident who is the first in her family to attend college. “But there’s a lot of scholarships out there. You just have to look for them.”

Bonilla, who received a combination of scholarships, loans and grants to finance her education--expected to cost more than $10,000 a year--said she sought the advice of her school’s college counselor and teachers, who were happy to give her information.

“The advice I can give to others is: Don’t find friends who discourage you and tell you that you’re a sellout if you go to a big university,” she said. “A lot of kids have the idea that mainstream is wrong, but if you have enough courage, you have to do what you think is right.”

A political science major, Bonilla’s long-term goal is to help her community. “I’m not one of those people who forget the community they came from once they leave,” she said.

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Daniel Lorenzo, 18, who also was featured in the Jan. 10 issue of City Times, has not had as much luck making his way to the college of his choice.

Although Lorenzo graduated from Garfield High School with a 3.9 grade-point average, he could not join his classmates who left for four-year colleges this fall because he only recently received his green card.

Students who are not legal U.S. residents are ineligible for federal aid and state college grants. They also must pay out-of-state fees at all University of California schools and every state community college.

Lorenzo hoped to attend Cal State Los Angeles--which, along with other Cal State schools, charges illegal immigrants in-state fees--but he could not afford the fees without financial aid.

He now works full time at a meat-packing company and takes classes at Los Angeles City College. He plans to transfer to Cal State L.A. next semester and use the money from his job to pay the fees.

“I got lucky because I got my (residency) papers,” Lorenzo said. “But I have some friends--one who had a 4.0--who couldn’t go to college because they couldn’t get financial aid. It’s really tough.

“But you can’t give up. You have to keep trying, no matter what.”

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After attending Los Angeles Southwest College for two years, Tori Dixon transferred to Cal State Los Angeles this year, where she is studying to be a social worker.

Dixon said she went to a junior college after graduating from Chatsworth High School because she was not steered into the type of courses required by four-year universities.

“My counselor told me to go to a junior college,” said Dixon, 21, a South-Central resident who was bused to the San Fernando Valley for school. “I think the majority of black and Hispanic kids that were being bused weren’t counseled to go to college.”

Dixon said her advice to high school students is to take the classes required by four-year schools even though counselors may not encourage it. She also urges students, particularly those from low-income families, not to let money be the deciding factor in whether they go to college.

“When you don’t have money and you need to help your family pay the bills, it’s hard because you’re thinking more of survival,” she said. “But if you have personal motivation and support from your family, then you can still work and go to school.

“There’s always a way.”