Students first: Fighting the battle for the lost generation

Like many other college students around the country Hadassah Black will tell you that the pandemic has made her life incredibly challenging. Black could have easily become a statistic, yet another student in the lost generation who opted to take time off from college. However, thanks to her determination coupled with a variety of resources available to Collin College students, she was able to continue her educational journey.

Black faced a long list of surprise expenses including being displaced for two weeks due to the recent winter snowstorm.

I am still bearing the financial weight of having to pay for an abundance of unexpected additional living expenses and relocation costs. It is also a struggle to have to pay for classes on top of that, Black said.

With all the hurdles the pandemic has dished out, this may seem like the perfect time to take a break from college. However, according to Dr. Jay Corwin, chief student success officer, this could actually be one of the worst times to stop taking college classes.

This is not the time to take a gap year, said Dr. Corwin. There are so many additional resources available this year to help students succeed, and I hope our current and prospective students take full advantage of them. Collin College is offering courses in multiple modalities including online, face-to-face, and hybrid classes. Online and in-person advising and other services in addition to FastTrack classes, which start later and end earlier than traditional semester-long classes, are also available. If students wait a year, they may also miss out on many funding opportunities through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and Governor Abbotts Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund.

This year, the college is also offering qualifying graduating seniors a summer 2021 tuition and fee credit program. Students in the Collin College service area can receive tuition and fees for up to seven hours of course credit. This offer is a one-time, phased effort to help eligible spring high school graduates get a fresh start on college, stay on track toward achieving their educational goals, or not fall behind academically due to the pandemic.

Unexpected extra resources and funding are the kind of surprises that Black and her fellow Collin College students appreciate. Instead of struggling to pay her college tuition, she recently received a CARES grant.

The grant is giving me the opportunity to finish the last semester of my paralegal degree program and will greatly contribute to the completion of my educational goals, she said.

To find out more about these opportunities email studentsuccess@collin.edu.