I’m A Latina Mom And I’ve Decided To Go Back To College

I started my bachelor’s degree at FootHill College in Los Altos, CA, in 2005, but I was constantly failing math and English. At the time, I had a good job at a bank, so I decided to take a break from my studies because I was making decent money and the college wasn’t understanding of my financial situation. Additionally, as a low-income Latina who needed to work full time to pay her bills, I felt alone navigating white-majority academic spaces. I was fully supporting myself because my parents couldn’t afford to pay for my college tuition — they didn’t even know what that was — so when I applied for financial aid, I constantly had to wrestle my dad for information. When I asked for his tax documents to receive the financial assistance I needed, he would say, with distrust in his voice, “¿Por qué lo necesitan?”