Is There Still HOPE for College Graduation?

HOPE, which stands for Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally, rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, universities and public technical colleges.

Since its beginning in 1993, over $4.6 billion has been awarded to as many as 1.2 million students that attend school in Georgia. Over the past year, many changes have been passed and requirements have made it more difficult for students to receive the assistance.

Speculation has been made that in 2013 the chance for HOPE funds will be slim to none. What does this do for people who are out of work and for their children who will be graduating and looking forward to college?

I have been attending Chattahoochee Technical College, majoring in the Criminal Justice program, using the HOPE Scholarship. I am two semesters from graduation with a 3.86 GPA and recently was told I was no longer eligible for the scholarship.

The reason: I have been out of school more than 7 years. Well, yes, I am old, but what does that have to do with my wanting to graduate? Yes, I feel young again sitting next to students half my age, but I still want to graduate.

I have worked hard and feel I deserve the same funds as a student who may not have the same gray hair I have.

While I worry about my graduation to better my family, what about my children? Will we be able to send them to college? The children who are working hard to graduate high school now, what is to come of them if many Americans who have been laid off or lost at least one income over the suffering economy we have all felt over the past couple of years, cannot afford to send our children.

Georgia lottery typically awards more than $2 million a year in employee bonuses. According to financial reports, in the fiscal year of 2010, the lottery recorded deposits of $884 million to education accounts.

This was a $12 million increase from 2009 to 2010, with bill bonuses limited to $120,000.

Just think of how many students this "bonus" money could have helped to educate and get better jobs.

Stacey Evans (D-Smyrna) is currently sponsoring a bill that would reduce the requirements for students to maintain a 2.5 GPA, stating, "It's just not that much money to do, but economic impact of having those people finish their technical degrees so that they can work in the jobs that Georgia needs them to is just a no-brainer to me."

Brian Robinson, Gov. Nathan Deal's advisor, seems to think the Democrats are planning to bankrupt the program altogether.

At least 4,200 have lost HOPE funds in Georgia technical colleges. Are the guidelines too strict? Should we be saving more to ensure that our children, who are our future, will be able to attend college?

The answer to me seems clear: yes. It seems that our government has made it clear that funds are quickly diminishing and we need to store more now to ensure success later.

Or better yet, buy those lottery tickets!