School: Florida A&M University
Year: Spring 2013- Present
My senior year in high school, I applied to so many schools, it seemed as though every other week I was receiving acceptance letters. Even schools that I had not applied to were giving me calls! I became so confused on where I wanted to go, yet my fear of not being able to afford school continuously overwhelmed my thoughts as I formed my selection process. Eventually, I realized that the best way to make a wise decision was to select the school that was most affordable and had the best pharmacy school ratings. This is how I chose to come to FAMU!
Upon arrival to FAMU in Fall 2011, I still had no clue how I was going to afford school as a whole!
Although I had few scholarships, everything had not been covered due to the fact that I had to pay out of state tuition. My mom had two girls, not including myself, who were also in college at the time. She was not making a substantial salary, and my father passed away when I was only a year old. I could only get student loans from FAFSA, and could not be approved for any plus loans because my mom nor anyone else could/would cosign for me to attend school. I came to Florida with little money in my pocket, no car, and no contacts. I struggled for such a long time trying to afford even living in a dorm, and I had to walk to work just so that I can have some means to live off of, while still excelling in the classes I needed to take in order to get accepted into pharmacy school.
Fast forwarding to Fall 2013, after a few semesters of struggling and having absolutely no money to my name at times, I ran into a girl who said she was an SSF resident! She was already aware of my hardships and struggles with paying for school, and told me that it would be a great year to apply since a few girls were moving out! After applying, I immediately felt discouraged. I knew there were a lot of applicants, and very few slots available, but I will never forget the call I received from Barby! I literally broke down in tears, because it felt like all the answers to my problems had been solved!
Since living at SSF, the girls have been wonderful to live with. Everyone is so sweet, nice, caring, and friendly! This truly is my family away from home. SSF has literally been the best thing that has happened to my since coming to Florida, honestly, there is a great chance that I would not have even been able to stay in Florida if it had not been for SSF! Since my acceptance into the SSF family, I have been accepted into the College of Pharmacy, and am currently finishing my last year of pharmacy school, still here at SSF! I have nothing but pure gratitude and respect for those who had faith in me, and felt that I would be a great fit to reside with the other residents. Without SSF, my dreams of being a pharmacist and providing better health to the community would not have been possible. Just as they have helped me, I know in the future I will give back so that the foundation can help others too!
Sponsorship opportunities are available for you to be a part of Carla’s, and many others, Education for Life journey.
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/SSFSponsorship
