When I heard that education was the long road to success, I didn't know I would have to take this metaphor literally. Having to commute on the bus six hours each weekday is the sacrifice I take to get my degree. My name is Danny Santana-Hernandez. A long three hours describes my journey from the city of Lynwood in Southeast Los Angeles to California State University Northridge in the San Fernando Valley. It takes me two Metro trains, the subway, and two buses to get to CSUN. On top of this I face the stress of rising costs of tuition and student housing, less classes being offered, and the overall lacking in quality education of our Cal State University system.
The budget crisis has left me in a dilemma in the way I choose to get my degree. I am able to tolerate the long commute except for the inconvenient truth that the bus or Metro is not always the best place to study for three hours. Student housing ridiculously costs over six hundred dollars a month, a cost that not even my financial aid can cover. My dilemma is the fact that if were to live on or off campus, I will face the burden of helping to pay both my housing costs along with the rent back home. Like many working families, I am also haunted by the fact that my family, with a single mother, has trouble paying for the rent. Working two part-time jobs is also adding to my burden. The lack of study time makes me hesitantto take anything more than twelve units per semester. Furthermore, it is evident I am not graduating in four years due to the fact I have been unable to get many of my required courses because they have either been cut or are overcrowded. If I am lucky I may perhaps graduate in five years.
By Danny Santana
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