MORGAN HALL
STAFF WRITER

I am one of the thousands of students across California who was, and will most likely continue to be, affected by the loss of financial aid.

In the 2010-2011 academic year financial aid, grants and a small subsidized loan covered my educational costs quite comfortably. However, in the 2011-2012 school year, my family’s annual household income exceeded the new maximum aid level by $19 causing my aid money to be cut in half, forcing me to take out a much bigger loan. I fear that in the years to come, the Dream Act will cut my aid even more.

With the Dream Act going into effect in California for the 2013-2014 academic year, I worry that I may be even more impacted despite Governor Jerry Brown’s assurance that this bill will not affect citizens.

The Dream Act stipulates that undocumented immigrants can apply and receive financial aid. Of course they have to qualify under the same guidelines as any other citizen, and in no way is money just handed to them. In order to be even eligible to receive finds, immigrants must also attend a California high school for at least three years. Also graduate from a California high school and file and affidavit with the college or university stating that they have applied to become citizens and will do so as soon as they are eligible.

For several decades my great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and myself have paid taxes to provide the fund for financial aid to needy students, and this is being handed to undocumented immigrants who have not paid into the system.

The bill does state that these qualified immigrants will only receive financial aid if there is money left over after first giving it to citizens and will not max over five percent of the total budget. However, why should there be any extra money left over to give out?

Each year the cost of education rises but aid distributions get smaller. Starting this year, income levels to receive Pell Grants for the 2012-13 school year can’t max $23,000 compared to last years $32,000. Doing basic math, if you or parents made more than $11 an hour, working 40 hours a week, for 52 weeks then you do not qualify for Pell Grant aid.

It’s baffling to think that the state of California would rather give financial aid to the 2,500 eligible undocumented high school students who graduate each year, then raise the income limits to help natural born citizens like myself, and thousands of others like me, who will now need to find other ways to fund their education.