Feburary 8, 2012
THE U.S. ECONOMY has suffered for almost four years now and still is in a state of inadequacy.
As of December 2011, the unemployment rate in America was standing at 8.5 percent. It’s hard to maintain a positive outlook on the future when a majority of people can hardly afford to go to school.
Families who’ve been forced out of a job are finding it difficult to send their kids to school. Then there are those who are right on the margin and don’t qualify for financial aid.
That leaves a number of students stuck in the middle: those who can’t afford school without help but don’t qualify for assistance because their family makes just over the specified amount.
The poverty line in our area is a thin line. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are homeless or without a job but that you make under a specified amount and qualify for assistance.
Not many people are even aware of how close they may be to that line. Many factors play into what is considered poverty, but Amarillo College has a number ways of helping the many students who are faced with the issue.
As a community college, AC is one that goes above and beyond to help students succeed in getting through school.
With financial aid, job placement programs, campus counseling and more, students have everything needed in order to succeed, and with methods are available to do so.
On the AC website, under “AC & Community Resources,” there are lists and links to advise and help anyone looking for a place to start and how to get there.
There even is a section of “Top Ten Student Needs” which consists of transportation information, shelter/affordable housing information, child care information and counseling information, just to name a few.
Students in need of work also may find that here at the college. There are plenty of student workers on all campuses, and most of the positions can be fit into students’ school schedules.
In a challenging economy such as America’s, it’s almost impossible to get a decent-paying job without an education or some sort of training, and AC offers both – along with the assistance needed to get that education or training.
America is slowly getting back on its feet. And AC is willing to do whatever it takes to help our local economy flourish and educate those who are willing to make a change and work for a better life.
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