♪ opening music ♪ ♪ ♪ Good evening, and welcome to this "Palmetto Perspectives Education Special, College Cost: Real Families, Real Stories."

I'm your host, Jada Samuel, and I'm honored to guide tonight's conversation.

If we're honest, paying for college can feel complicated, overwhelming, and sometimes even intimidating.

Between tuition fees, books, housing, transportation, and the fine print of financial aid, families can feel like they're trying to solve a puzzle without all of the pieces and yet support exists.

The key is knowing where to look, who to ask, and what questions to raise early.

Tonight we begin not with policy, but with people.

You'll hear directly from South Carolina students and families who are navigating the cost of college right now.

They'll share their successes, their pain points, the surprises, the lessons learned, and the advice they wish someone would have given them sooner.

This conversation is about real decisions made in real time.

We are joined in the studio by current students, Parah Anderson, Sophomore at the University of South Carolina, Lucas Peters, Sophomore at Anderson University, Nya Tomlin, Junior at the University of South Carolina, And Sergeant Garrison Helms, a graduate of Midlands Technical College and member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

We're also joined by some of their loved ones, and we're delighted to welcome several special guests who are here as practitioners, ready to listen and share resources and information regarding college funding.

We'd also like to welcome our streaming audience, joining us from Facebook and YouTube.

We invite our digital audience to engage, submit questions and be a part of this dialog.

Our social media correspondent, Paulia Williams is present to ensure that your voices are heard.

So let's begin.

All right, y'all.

We've got to talk about when you felt the reality of paying for college was real for you.

Let's talk about when cost influence, where you chose to attend and how.

Let's start with you, Garrison.

So for me, it was straight out of A.I.T.

Advance Individual Training.

When I would realize, hey, I want to do something.

You know, I have all these benefits I can use now with the South Carolina Army National Guard.

I want to go to school.

So, weighing the costs, how much money I can get for free, I chose Midlands Tech, and trying to go through all the, you know, the loops and things about how to get that money.

That's definitely where I was at in that point.

So, Jada Samuel> Yeah.

What about you, Nya?

When did the cost of college become real for you?

Nya Tomlin> So I am an out-of-state student.

I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina, and with being a neuroscience major, that was already limiting me to quite a few schools.

And so I did apply to a decent amount in North Carolina, but then whenever I saw schools in South Carolina, I was like, oh, wow, this is amazing.

I would love to go.

And then it dawned upon me, oh, I would be paying out-of-state tuition, which is a lot more than you would be paying in-state.

And I think once I got accepted into the University of South Carolina, I started seeing all the tuition costs.

I was like, okay, like, this really is a lot, and we need to have a way to counteract that.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, absolutely.

What about you, Lucas?

When did the cost of college become real for you?

Lucas Peters> I'd say it became more real to me after I got home from Palmetto Boys State.

I got tons of scholarships from packets in the mail to emails, and I really just sat back and realized that that these scholarships are going to help me, you know, get to where I want to be and I really don't want my parents to have to pay that much out of pocket on me to get my education.

Jada Samuel> What about you, Parah?

Parah Anderson> Same thing what Lucas said.

After I came back from Palmetto Girls State and Presbyterian College, offered the first scholarship offer, I was like, okay, it's getting real.

When more colleges came in, more schalorships came in, choosing the right college really just came down to how much less am I going to pay.

Am I going to go for a full ride or do I want to go to a college that's going to pay me a less amount, and also going back what Nya said, out of state, do I want to pay more, do I want to pay less.

So, we're on the same.

Jada Samuel> Yeah.

And starting with you on this question, what mix of resources are you using to fund your education?

Parah Anderson> Definitely scholarship.

Scholarships is the main head of my college education.

Of course, the in-state with, Doctor Hampton, with the S.C.

Life.

And the increase we have from being a STEM student.

I also have multiple outside, of course, U.S.C.

gave me scholarship as well, but outside, I have a Meeting Street Scholarship Fund.

They're based out of Charleston, have the Hagan Scholarship, which is more, based in Missouri.

The Burn Scholarship, which is for scholarships for deceased parents.

And many of the more scholarships I have from local, state, national.

So scholarships is the forefront.

Parah Anderson> Wow.

I don't think that I even knew that there were scholarships for students with deceased parents.

So thank you for sharing that information.

Lucas, what about you?

What resources are you using right now to pay for your college tuition?

Lucas Peters> Scholarships and grants.

I have the privilege to interview for the Dean Scholarship at Anderson University, and I'm really blessed to receive that scholarship.

Also, the Meeting Street Scholarship.

Like Parah said, they're based out of Charleston and also different types of grants as well as long with the, LIFE Scholarship.

Jada Samuel> And how do you qualify for that Meeting Street scholarship?

You got to have at least a three point G.P.A.

I believe, and you have to live in a, there're different counties that they help students in.

Jada Samuel> So people should definitely look into what counties they live in and what special scholarships are available to them.

Right?

<Yes, ma'am> What about you, Nya?

What resources are you using to pay that out-of-state tuition Because that's a little bit different.

Nya Tomlin> Yes.

So I actually have a merit scholarship from the school that cut down a lot of the cost for us.

Actually, whenever I applied to University of South Carolina, they had just took away the scholarship to where North Carolina students would be considered in-state.

And so the scholarship that I got kind of goes along with that as well.

But I also got scholarships from my dentist office, which a lot of people probably wouldn't even think that's possible.

But there are so many places where you can get a scholarship that you wouldn't even think of.

So I got some from there as well and even just help out from my family.

They all are always more than willing to help contribute.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, that's a blessing to be able to rely on family as well.

Garrison, you are in the South Carolina Army National Guard.

So what resources are you using right now to pay for college because you graduated from Midlands Tech recently?

Sgt.

Garrison Helms> So we offer something called CAP.

It's something I used.

That was a big thing for me.

It stands for the College Assistance Program.

Whenever I was in college, it paid up to 6000.

It recently went up to 12,000 dollars a year.

And then I was using my Montgomery G.I.

Bill, which kind of helped me get food and gas to go to school every single day.

That paid me 439 dollars a month.

So those are the two big things.

And along with FAFSA, getting a Pell Grant from the state.

Jada Samuel> Speaking of FAFSA, like, I don't know about anybody else, but I thought FAFSA was so confusing.

So I want to know what was the most confusing or frustrating part of the process of paying for college for each of you?

Anybody want to start?

Sgt.

Garrison Helms> I'll start first.

<Yeah> For me is definitely the FAFSA.

You know, not knowing, like, I had to submit all these documents to them, like, okay, I got to give them my W-2, how much I make a year, You know how much my parents make a year, their tax forms.

That was definitely a big struggle for me.

So, 100 FAFSA.

It's a little bit complicated, but I got through it and I got the money I needed.

Jada Samuel> Anybody else have any different or unique struggles?

Yeah.

Nya Tomlin> I think even looking and knowing where to start to find scholarships.

I feel like so many people go for the really big ones, like the one provided by Coca Cola, and you just get a lot of no's.

And so I was like, okay, where am I even supposed to look to get scholarships?

I'm hearing about so many, but I don't know how to apply.

I don't know where to find them because you can look up scholarships for North Carolina, for South Carolina and just a million pop up.

But I didn't know specifically which ones that I should be applying for.

That was probably the most difficult thing for me to figure out was how to navigate that.

Jada Samuel> Yeah.

Parah, what part of the financial process surprised you most?

I guess it's basically what everybody's, talking about, trying to figure out what's going to cover what.

I know, like, with the certain scholarships that I have are what they call Last Dollar Scholarships.

So it's going to pay like, the remainder of what you have left on the bill.

Some scholarships only cover tuition.

Other scholarships only cover food and room.

So it's kind of like putting all of these costs together just to pay everything will probably be the most confusing.

FAFSA was a big thing, too.

I'm glad that they simmered it down before because before it was very complex.

So I mean, like asking my mom like, oh, I need W2, I need this, I need that.

Me knowing like, I don't know what is in front of me at this computer screen, but just helping, like, I appreciate my mom just for helping me out with this whole, process.

And she also has this thing.

It's called the I.C.B.D.

Group It's called "It Can Be Done."

And it's a small business where she works with, high school students around the state, around the county.

Helps them with scholarships and, if you pinpoint like if, a STEM student in, is in another attribute and she, just goes along with that, so that was a very, very big help finding stuff.

Jada Samuel> Yeah.

I think for all of us, even in this room, putting together those puzzle pieces, what's going to cover what.

Because college is not just tuition, it's that housing.

It's transportation.

It's the cost of living.

So lots of things are playing a role here.

Lucas, what do you think about the barriers that still exist, even with available support?

Do you think that there are some barriers for you?

Lucas Peters> I think the biggest barrier is honestly students just not knowing what scholarships to apply for.

I know a big help for me, like Parah just said was Charmaine Anderson from the, I.C.B.D.

Group.

She saved me and my mom a lot of trouble.

I know there was times me and my mom was, you know, we were stressed, didn't know what to apply for.

And she was always there saying, apply for this, apply for that.

And, she's awesome.

I recommend every high school student to her.

Jada Samuel> All right.

So y'all heard that first.

It can be done.

Everyone needs to think about that.

So a lot of you obviously are here because you are receiving some merit based scholarships, and that's wonderful.

That's incredible.

But there are so many students who simply do not have the grades.

They don't have merit based scholarship potential.

So what kind of scholarships are you receiving that maybe aren't merit based, that you might recommend to someone else, or are there scholarships that aren't merit based that you're receiving and tell us how maybe you found some of those?

Parah Anderson> I guess I can start off.

Of course, like you said, most scholarships are, merit based, but there is some scholarships that want to just see you.

Like you have the grades, you have the G.P.A.

you have the S.A.T.

you have the A.C.T.

scores, but they want to know who you are, the holistic application.

I would say I guess my Hagan Scholarship will say, I would say that was more based on like the holistic like they want to know, you know, what you do.

And if some scholars have just asked like particular questions like, what do you do for your community?

If you had this power in the world, what would you do?

Like some questions would be like, if you like, what would you do to say, like, I guess, like world hunger or like beat cancer?

Just one of the main problems they want to know behind the grades.

They want to know who you are because for them on the scholarship side is like, if I'm getting the student, I want to know who they are.

How can they benefit from a scholarship and benefit from the organization as well?

So I would say it's some scholarships out there.

A tip is to definitely read their requirements because sometimes, like some scholars could be like, oh yeah, you know, 2.0 GPA required, but they requiring, you know, involvement in school organizations, community service, volunteer opportunities.

So I think it's a, I think it's more scholarships.

Just want to know who you are instead of just behind the grades.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, absolutely.

I actually think that it's really cool when students do have opportunities to share who they are, especially in those essays.

You spent so much time writing all of these essays.

So I think that those moments are moments that should be rewarded.

I do have some more questions for you.

I want to talk about how being a member of the military and a student aging out of foster care, maybe, or a technical college student has shaped your financial planning.

Anybody on the panel want to talk about their specific story and maybe how it shaped their financial planning?

Yeah.

I'll definitely start.

I mean, as a current member of the South Army National Guard, I will say, you know, kind of growing up, I didn't get raised in, you know, the greatest household or anything like that.

So at a young age, I was like, I'm going to join the military.

Went to my local recruiter, you know, obviously met eligibility criteria.

They told me about all these things I could do.

So coming out and, you know, seeing that kind of help me, you know, make a goal like, you got to have, like, these small goals in life.

So, you know, you have a small goal, a small goal and the big goal.

Right?

So going from that to joining to training, then to school and then graduating school, that's the big goal.

That was definitely what helped me out.

Help me kind of shape me.

Better disciplined.

You know, colleges, it's on your own.

You got to do these things on your own.

So the military helped, you know, discipline me.

And that way I can get my homework and things on time.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, absolutely.

I can only imagine how unique of an experience that is.

So, thank you for what you do.

But also.

Wow.

That's incredible.

Like, to have that discipline and to be able to make the most of your opportunity is absolutely incredible.

I want to know from the rest of you what unique supports were available to you that others might not know about.

I can start.

<Yeah> I think something that a lot of people honestly just look over is their high school.

There are so many things that your high school sends out about scholarships.

I know mine in particular.

They had in newsletters for seniors, and it just listed so many scholarships, ones that you probably didn't even know where there.

Like, there's this one for Google where you submit a design.

There's a scholarship where you talk about your favorite app on your phone.

Like, there are so many scholarships out there that you just really don't know about, and your school provides so many resources for those.

And also even, there are like webinars that you can go on to online and they tell you about different scholarships that are in your specific area, which can help you get those scholarships a lot more than the really big ones.

Jada Samuel> Yeah.

Anybody else have anything to add?

Parah Anderson> Yes, definitely.

Just pigging back on what she said.

I know because me and Lucas, we went to the same high school together.

So our advisor, Ms.

Hill, like, every week, she'll send a scholarship, and then next week will be another one.

And it got to a point where they organized, she did, like, an Excel spreadsheet of all the scholarships.

And then, like when she did, you like, you checked it off and I know, like for like for my class.

I don't think a lot of them use that resources because it's scholarships right in front of you.

So easy for you to utilize some money, take it to college or you know, if elsewhere if you want to go and then I guess, the regular resources that, our high school offer.

We had guidance counselor that, was helping.

We also had the college, career readiness we had that was like down the street from our high school.

So those resources are definitely useful and they are taken for granted.

Jada Samuel> Well, clearly, Ms.

Hill was a special kind of guidance counselor.

And we need guidance counselors like that at every school.

And we need students taking advantage of the amazing guidance counselors that they do have in their schools.

So I want to know.

Lucas, I want to bring this question to you.

How did you weigh out taking loans versus other options like adjusting your college choice?

I had the privilege.

I didn't have to take out loans.

I just used the scholarships that I was blessed from the Lord to receive And the grants as well.

Jada Samuel> Yeah.

Awesome.

I love that.

So all of you are here because you are studious, you're hardworking.

You you've really prepared to make these financial decisions.

How did you feel prepared to make the decisions that you made regarding college?

Obviously, some of you had incredible guidance counselors and parent support, but what made you truly feel prepared to make financial decisions about college?

Sgt.

Garrison Helms> I want to say honestly, I wasn't prepared, and that's just kind of how it is.

You know, you as a young adult, you know, you get scared with money.

So, that's a big thing.

But the whole thing is, you know, it's going to happen.

And if it's something that you really want to do, you're going to do it.

And that's what makes you, you know, a leader in life.

That's what prepares you.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, absolutely.

I think we have an incredible panel of students here, but I want to go ahead and take us to the online audience that is engaging with us right now.

I know that so many of you have questions about your students, your future students who are going to be college students soon.

So I want to toss it over to Paulia, who will have some questions from our online audience.

Thank you Jada.

With that being said, we've learned so much good information tonight.

The students are saying you must start early, use those scholarships and grants.

But one of the questions that arose in the chat, should go to Miss Anderson.

Brian wants to know what should high school juniors be doing currently to prepare for college?

Ms.

Anderson> Can I stand?

Jada Samuel> Yes, please.

So before you go, I want to say that Ms.

Anderson is the mother of our panelist this evening, Parah Anderson.

And she is the founder of the organization that clearly helped two of our students on the panel.

So we're looking forward to your answer, Ms.

Anderson.

Ms.

Anderson> Thank you so much.

So for juniors, I always encourage parents and students to ensure that they begin their college visits.

If they have not taken the S.A.T.

or A.C.T.

yet, I suggest that they do that.

There are some colleges that still waive that requirement, but most colleges have started to bring that requirement back.

And also as it relates to scholarships, the S.A.T.

and A.C.T.

are important and key to that.

So, we encourage them to do that.

Also, if they are lacking on the community service side, I highly encourage that they began looking for community service and if they do any type of, if they work or if they have a job, you know, ensure that they have that information as well.

So, that's what I would say for juniors to ensure that they start that process and preparing themselves.

And at least don't limit yourself to, I know a lot of students, they have one college in mind that they want to attend.

But, make sure you have options.

Do at least ten colleges and, ensure that you have those options out there for you.

Jada Samuel> Absolutely.

So, Ms.

Anderson said, do at least ten applications.

So we want to make sure that students are doing at least ten applications.

Now, I know here in South Carolina, we are fortunate to have the South Carolina Education Lottery, and I remember the South Carolina Education Lottery providing scholarships for me through the LIFE Scholarship when I was in undergrad.

And I also remember picking some of those lucky numbers that provide scholarships for students here in South Carolina.

So I love that cycle of people giving to students right here in South Carolina.

So I want to send it over to Doctor Hampton, who is the associate director, for the Office of Student Affairs at the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

And he currently has oversight of the State College Access and State Scholarship and Grants teams, where he directly manages the LIFE and S.C.

HOPE Scholarships programs.

So can you tell us a little bit more about how students can qualify and what they can start doing now to engage with the LIFE Scholarship?

Yeah.

So to make it as brief as possible, because we do have five programs that come out of the lottery, dealing with the HOPE and the LIFE scholarship.

I think those are the easiest two to explain.

They require, for a HOPE Scholarship, just a 3.0 final high school G.P.A.

There's no test score.

There's no class rank.

So that's for a student who wants to go to a four-year institution.

Graduate high school with a 3.0.

They can receive up to 2800 dollars in that first year.

The LIFE scholarship is really cool because you can use it at both a two year or four year institution.

At a two year institution.

Again, we're just looking for a 3.0.

We don't worry about a test score or class rank.

But if that student wants to go to a four-year institution, now, you hear that two out of three you always hear about.

So, again, a 3.0, but then also an 1100 S.A.T.

or 22 A.C.T.

Either test is fine.

Or rank in the top 30 percent of the graduating high school class.

So which is within those, requirements alone, you can hear some of the same things that we just heard about that are really important.

Take the S.A.T.

or A.C.T.

as many times as you can because we can super score.

That will take your best math your best reading from different settings.

You can put that together.

G.P.A.

is also really important.

And then if I can tag on just really quickly, I think is really important in that junior year to again get it to ten schools, but visit as many as you can.

You don't want to get to your senior year, and then decide that you want to spend your next four years or two years at a place that you haven't seen before.

So taking those visits is really, really important.

Learning what's on campus and helping you use that to make your decision.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, a lot of our students are having to take out loans in the state of South Carolina.

And that's something that, you know, people don't want to do, but a lot of people have to do.

Can you share a little bit more about, what students should do to prepare to take out some student loans?

Dr.

Gerrick Hampton> So a lot of the loan conversation, I think, comes down to two choices.

Going to pay for college and deciding on a college is a family choice.

And you have to weigh your options.

Doing it fast is really, really important.

We encourage you to do that as early as possible in that senior year, starting October one.

But once you send that FAFSA off to those ten colleges, I think you can actually do 20 now, you get that form back and you can sit down with your family and you make that decision that's best for you all.

I think one of the unique things we're seeing, with this panel and some of the students in the audience, is that everybody's path can be different.

And you have to pick the path that works best for you.

And sometimes that might be starting off at a different college and then transferring.

And that can be perfectly fine.

But the loan conversation, you look for scholarships, you try to avoid loans if you can.

You look for the scholarships, you look for the grants.

You look for the college that's right for you as far as fit and cost.

And then if you have to take out those loans, then you do the FAFSA and you do it as little as possible.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, absolutely.

I'm really blessed to have been Miss South Carolina and have been awarded over 85,000 dollars in scholarships from the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization.

And so I do think that it's very important for us to figure out if we are taking out loans, how we're going to pay those loans back.

Because that can be a strenuous process post grad, too, and thinking about the decisions that you're going to make about your life.

But I want to take it over to Mr.

Ken Bernard, director of financial aid at Central Carolina Technical College.

I want to ask you a quick question about, lottery tuition assistance.

I know that a lot of people are using lottery tuition assistance to pay for college.

So, can you kind of walk us through?

What that looks like?

How students can apply?

Where they can get more information?

Well, the beautiful thing about lottery tuition assistance is that it's not need based.

Simply by being a resident of South Carolina, you can potentially qualify at two year institutions.

My 19 years of higher education experience has been all with two year institutions.

So, I stress to students, take advantage of every dollar you can.

And I try to manage and help students stay relatively debt free, for their first two years, not knowing what their educational goals are.

Lottery tuition assistance has fluctuated in the years.

It's come down a little bit, because not a lot of people are playing lottery like they used to.

So the total amount that has come down, compared to when I first started with, higher education.

But it is a valuable tool that helps supplement, Pell Grants from the FAFSA.

So, take advantage of every tool that you can.

Jada Samuel> Absolutely.

Well, I will say that my grandma and a lot of other grandmas are still playing the lottery.

So we got to encourage the grandmas to continue playing the lottery and supporting our students across the state, right?

<Absolutely> So there is a unique scholarship, at the at Central Carolina Technical College.

Can you tell me a little bit more about that unique scholarship that you all offer?

Kenneth Bernard> So we have our scholars program.

So we have a partnership with our four county service area of Kershaw, Sumter, Lee and Clarendon County.

So any student graduating with a 2.0 G.P.A.

can come and have free tuition at Central Carolina, as long as they're getting into college ready level courses, which is the majority of students.

So, at the very minimum, if you don't qualify for federal funding, if you're only getting some lottery tuition assistance, we have that scholars program which will pick up the bill.

The only thing that the student potentially could be responsible for would be books.

And that's even if we don't have another pocket of money to help pick from.

Jada Samuel> That's amazing.

That is incredible.

I think that so many people just don't recognize the opportunities that are available to them.

Kenneth Bernard> You've got to ask the financial aid people at the school that you're interested in.

And again, I am a state employee.

I work for the parents and the students if they're earning money.

Their salaries, their taxes pay my salary.

So, whether they're planning on ultimately ending their career with two years or they want to transfer, talk to the financial aid people.

We're here to help navigate those, <Yeah, absolutely> those issues.

Jada Samuel> Thank you so much, Mr.

Bernard.

<You're welcome> Okay, so all of you have heard it.

You've got to ask.

If you don't ask, then you don't know.

And believe it or not, most two-year colleges in South Carolina offer very similar programs.

So you've got to be able to ask.

And speaking of asking, I want to come back to our panel and I want to ask you all, how did you openly discuss this with your parents?

Not all of us are Parah and have a parent who is super involved in the college process, and the application process in finding scholarships.

And so I know that you all have different cases and different scenarios that you've dealt with.

So I want to know how did you get rid of the shame of like, I don't know how I'm paying for college and start asking for the help that you know, you needed.

I can start, I think with my, relationship with my parents, it was always something that we thought about it.

We try to make it a conversation that didn't feel as if I was putting a burden onto them.

It was a very real conversation.

College is expensive, and we need to understand how we're going to pay for it, and we just need to go and start and find options.

You know, you need to do your part, but we're also going to do our part.

So it wasn't so much of a nerve wracking conversation, but more of a, okay, I need to understand that college is expensive, and I also need to help contribute in the best way that I can.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, anybody else?

Lucas Peters> My parents were very supportive from day one when I started getting these scholarships and these financial aid papers in the mail.

And, they really did a great job of settling my nerves because I was, you know, really nervous about, you know, how we're going to pay for college, and I didn't want to put that kind of stress on my parents.

But, you know, they like I said, they did a really good job of selling my nerves.

<Okay> Sgt.

Garrison Helms> I want to say, I'm the first person in my immediate family to actually go to college.

So both of my parents were are actually very supportive with me.

They definitely pushed me to do that 100 percent.

Jada Samuel> Okay.

Parah, I know you had a mom who was extremely involved, but, I would like to go ahead and toss it to Sinitra.

I know that she has some information that she would like to share with a lot of students across the state of South Carolina.

We always need more resources for our students, right?

We always need them to know about all of the options and alternatives and available opportunities.

So could you share more about the opportunities that you have?

Sinitra Johnson> Yeah.

So I, I myself was a first generation low income college student, and from undergrad and graduate school, I ended up with over 100,000 dollars in student loans.

And so I told my daughter this can't be you, like it has to stop with me.

And so what we did was, we were a team.

She was involved in color guard.

So oftentimes she was practicing most nights.

And on Friday night and Saturdays we had games and competitions.

But what we did was we were a team.

I always share my story of my daughter was not a top scholar.

She was an average student.

And as a team, we tackled scholarships.

We did apply for national scholarships.

We applied for regional scholarships and local scholarships.

So I would tell families to make sure you're looking at your sororities and your fraternities, your bank, the credit union.

Also, there are some opportunities at institutions that aren't merit based.

There are some that may be, based on what your major is.

There are some that may be offered for students based on, if you participate in community service or if you're going to come on our campus and participate in community service.

And also, Google was our friend because when she had available time at school or before practice, she could, I would provide feedback or comments, or we had a committee we called, where we had someone in Ohio.

We had a friend in Charlotte, my brother in California.

She tapped into all of those resources on her little committee that would review her scholarship essays.

And also, I want to shout out, TRIO Programs in South Carolina to make sure that you are tapping into your TRIO Programs that are, in your high schools, in your community, Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound and Educational Opportunity Center, and also GEAR UP, which is not a TRIO program, but we're all under the same umbrella just to make sure.

Also the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education has College Goal South Carolina.

Those are just all resources that students can use to learn more about completing the financial aid application and also applying for scholarships.

Wow, so many resources available in programs like TRIO, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and all of us are so grateful in this conversation to have a parent who's been involved.

But there are so many students who don't have parents that are involved because of various circumstances.

So I want to talk to you all and get a perspective on the foster students who might be aging out of foster care and figuring out what is next for them.

This is a really challenging moment for them to be aging out and wanting to pursue college, and maybe not knowing what resources are available to them.

So we have a front row guest, Alyshia Ravenell, who, will be able to share a little bit more about some options that are available to our students here in South Carolina.

Good evening.

So, yes, at the South Carolina Department of Social Services, we have this federal program called the Education and Training Voucher, also known as E.T.V.

where we allow up to 5,000 dollars to any of our young people who have aged out of foster care.

We also have this program for those who may have reunified with their parents after the age of 14 and have reached permanency through adoption, kinship, legal guardianship after the age of 16.

So they can get this fund up to five years or up until the 26th birthday.

So you may have a young person who is in foster care, who may have, you know, went straight into the workforce, decided college is not for me right now, but maybe they decide at the age of 21, hey, I want to go back.

That fund is still there for them until their 26th birthday.

Jada Samuel> Wow, that is incredible.

And so good to know that people have the option to go back.

If something is not an option for you at 18 years old, then you can still go back at 21, 22 all the way up to 26.

That is absolutely incredible to know.

Parents, I would love to know from you.

How has paying for college impacted your broader financial goals?

Y'all are here on the front row with us.

And I know that some of you are thinking about retirement and savings and debt that you might already have.

So how has paying for college kind of impacted that?

Would anyone like to share?

Or anyone in the audience?

Anyone in the audience thinking about how college, paying for college has impacted them?

Thank you, Ms.

Anderson.

Ms.

Anderson> So anyone who knows me knows I always say, my daughter is my return on investment.

And, you know, as a parent, you try to prepare your child to the best of your ability to ensure and like, Ms.

Johnson said I came out of because I have a couple of degrees.

So my, like, student loan was over 300,000 dollars.

<Whoo!> And gratefully, because I've been a public servant for a long time, I was able to have that forgiven.

But I didn't want to put my child in that type of situation.

So, because she has done well and has had scholarships, it's helped me.

Some of my burdens that I used to take care of for her She can take care of herself because she's had that scholarship opportunity.

And I'm fully aware that not all parents have that same opportunity.

But what I would suggest is to plan early and get your kids involved in as much as they can and use the resources out there.

Ms.

Johnson didn't say, but she is the FAFSA guru.

So, get connected to people like that to assist in the process.

Jada Samuel> Yes.

Being a parent who's not afraid to ask for help also really helps your student in the long run, sounds like.

So, being a parent who's like, I don't have it all figured out, Let's see how we can help you figure it out, seems like a great plan.

But, I want to go to social media.

I know we have lots of people streaming on Facebook and on YouTube, so I want to see what Paulia is gaining over there from the audience, engaging with us on socials.

Yes.

So lots of people in the chat are talking about being first generation, either college students or college graduates.

So, they had no idea, what they were doing when they were going in.

So it's kind of, very unique for them.

But, now people are wanting to know what are other ways other than grants, scholarships, ways to pay for college, like savings plans.

Who could answer that for us?

Jada Samuel> I would love to know in the audience, does anyone have any experience in savings plans?

Any parents?

529 Treasurer's Office.

Would you like to answer that question, Ms.

Anderson?

Ms.

Anderson> No, I was just going to echo, you were saying, Jada Samuel> One second.

We'll get you a microphone.

<I'm sorry> Okay.

Ms.

Anderson> I was just going to echo the same thing that you said.

The 529 plans.

The state of South Carolina has a couple of plans through the treasurer's office that you can do also, your local bank, right.

So you can, I know they're like, say, Federal Credit Union.

I know they have a college program for students and just for kids as themselves.

So also explore that option with your banking institution.

Jada Samuel> Absolutely.

Paulia, do we have any more questions from our social media audience?

Paulia Williams> Well, not necessarily from the social media audience, but I did get to speak with Isha Patel earlier, before the show started.

And I know we're talking to students who are sophomores and juniors, but Isha's a senior at the University of South Carolina, and we want to know how she's preparing for graduate school.

Jada Samuel> Yes.

Isha, take it away.

Isha Patel> Hi.

Do I stand up?

Jada Samuel> Sure.

Isha Patel> Okay, so being a first generation college student as an itself, an undergrad was already a hard endeavor, but it did make me resourceful.

So during my junior year summer, I was able to apply for a TRIO Ronald D. McNair Scholar Program, in which where I was able to conduct research as well as kind of do something I was passionate about throughout my four years, which was nutrition and wellness and all that stuff.

But when I first got to the McNair Program, I was able to kind of see all the prep that they had in for me.

They did G.R.E.

prep.

They made sure I was able to use all my transferable skills to kind of find a pathway into grad school and find a place where I didn't even think I was able to have a space, as well as have a stipend, help me pay for the summer program, as well as find ways to kind of limit the cost of my admission fees for my grad school.

So honestly, McNair was one of my biggest things that truly helped me kind of pursue grad school when I didn't even know I could pursue undergrad.

So, yeah.

Jada Samuel> Well, thank you, Isha.

It sounds like you really took advantage of all of the opportunities that you had at hand.

And being a first gen college student has to be a little scary, a little tough and challenging in many, many ways.

And I know that one of our panelists here is also a first gen college student.

So, Garrison, what was it like for you to also navigate life as a first gen college student in particular?

Sgt.

Garrison Helms> So luckily for me, I was able to go active duty with the National Guard.

But at the same time, it's, you know, having to build a resume, you know, incorporating these classes that I took so I can find, you know, a real job after college.

And I feel like a lot of people don't understand that you can actually incorporate the things that you learned in class into your resume, and that will make you better.

It's not totally like, hey, I have this degree, but mainly about experience.

So finding those internships, making that resume, and, you know, reaching out to people definitely helped me out for sure.

Jada Samuel> 1,000 percent.

I can say that internships, one, create a great experience for you in undergrad.

And also having jobs sometimes lends itself to you having opportunities post-grad.

So I want to hear from all of you.

What jobs do you have or what internships have you had, and maybe how those experiences in jobs and internships are helping you right now in ways that you didn't even know.

You want to start?

Nya, you want to start?

Sure.

[laughs] Nya Tomlin> So I am a neuroscience major, and I am currently doing research with one of the professors at my university in the School of Medicine, and we do research on Alzheimer's disease.

And, honestly, you can essentially count that as an internship.

It really is a job.

Like, you are committing so many hours into the lab, but that has helped me so much.

I have learned how to do so many skills in the lab, even how to talk professionally about what I'm researching, feeling confident in what I'm talking about.

And it looks amazing on a resume as well.

But even just talking, with my P.I.

he gives me so much insight about different types of scholarships that I can apply to, different schools to look into, even how to make myself competitive whenever I am applying to these schools or even other research programs.

And so just even having that opportunity to be in the lab and hearing from so many amazing people within the lab has been such a really meaningful experience that has just helped boost my academic career.

Jada Samuel> I love that, and it sounds like your P.I.

is serving as a mentor for you.

And that's something that I always advocate for, is finding your mentors while you're in college.

Those people really can shape what your life looks like post-college.

So, Lucas, I would love to know from you, do you have a job?

Parah, do you have a job?

I would love for you all to tell us, what internships and jobs you have.

Lucas Peters> Yes, ma'am.

So, my dad is a superintendent at Wyboo Golf Club, and, part of the reason that I chose the major that I did is I love being outside, always have since I was a young kid.

So, over the summer, I work at the golf course and, besides, you know, the labor and, you know, different things like that, it's really taught me about the outdoors.

Like, I had no idea that there was so much to grass and and dirt.

[laughs] I didn't know that there was so much to it, but there is.

I've learned all kinds of stuff from pesticides, you know, different types of chemicals.

And it's really opened my eyes to that field.

Jada Samuel> So, Lucas, what is your major, if you don't mind me asking?

Lucas Peters> Environmental Science.

Jada Samuel> How cool.

Environmental Science.

I love that.

All right, Parah, what about you?

What jobs and internships have you had?

I would kind of like go off the same thing what Lucas said.

I major in, I.T., which is Information Technology.

So, I was blessed to have a job at the university as a, student school job is called the classroom I.T.

technician.

So when you go into your classroom, you see the professors and they on the computer, we fix those.

You know, when the professor puts in the ticket, "Oh, my computer isn't working."

So then we come over, we fix the issue, and then we go over zones all across campus.

From, I guess you could say, from Darla Moore all the way down to near the stadium.

That's where all, all where we cover.

I love the job and you wouldn't think it's so much to a computer because all you see is you logging in, you know, clicking on Google, YouTube, using your stuff.

But it's so much more inside the bits and pieces of it.

With that job, I also went to career fairs.

That was one thing I would say to people, to students who want to go to college and students who are in college, utilize the resources that the campus offers you.

I went to a STEM career fair, which is for STEM students.

And I got an internship opportunity with Gulf Stream, which is a private jet aerospace company.

I will be there this summer, doing I.T.

work for them for the first time.

So very excited.

Excuse me, but if I never went to that career fair, I would have never had the opportunity.

And not just with, they have career fairs just for everybody, they have career fairs with, you know, your specific major, your specific department.

So definitely utilize campus resource.

I know at U.S.C.

if you don't go to the career fair, your advisor, they could put you on to career specialist.

And they'll tell you, you know, different steps to go there.

So I'm very excited for the journey, but definitely utilize your campus resources.

Jada Samuel> Absolutely.

So my fun fact, in a lot of rooms is that I worked in the career center when I was in undergrad, and I went to a career fair, and I got my first job at W.I.S.

News 10 by going to a career fair in the journalism school.

So I totally support utilizing all of those resources and going to the career fairs that are available to you.

I want to start asking all of you, this is our final question.

So I really want you to think deeply about this.

What is something that you wish someone had told you in 10th or 11th grade for you to prepare to be where you are right now?

I know that's a loaded one, because so many of us already have heard so much really good information today.

And I know that hindsight is always 20/20.

We always wish that we would have known something.

But this is an opportunity for our listeners to be able to gain something.

So I want you all to think, what do you wish that you would have known when you were in 10th or 11th grade?

I'm going to start with Lucas.

Is that okay?

<That's okay> Okay.

I want to start with Lucas and then I want to hop around and see what you all have learned.

So, Lucas, do you mind sharing what you wish that you would have learned?

One thing that I wish I learned earlier on in my high school journey was, as soon as you're able to start applying for scholarships, you need to hop on it, because I promise there is other people that want that same scholarship that you got.

And you need to be filling out resumes.

You need to be getting those transcripts, and you need to be applying.

Jada Samuel> All right.

You heard it from Lucas.

Apply, apply, apply.

That's his take away.

All right, who's next?

I would say, you know, back in 10th or 11th grade, I wish I would have known that these honors and A.P.

classes really do matter.

There are a lot of students out there like, "You know, I might not apply myself too much.

I'mma take a, you know, a college prep course."

But these honors and these A.P.

courses, they really do matter for what you want to do in the future.

Jada Samuel> I love that.

Before we go on to the lessons learned, did any of you take dual enrollment or A.P.

or I.B.

or honors courses?

Yes.

Okay.

What courses did you take?

I did dual enrollment with actually Central Carolina.

I like campus over at F.E.

DuBose down the street from, Manning.

So I did those.

I started my junior year.

I didn't do all the courses to get my associate's degree, but I did get enough courses for me to start my first year at Carolina as a sophomore instead of a freshman.

So definitely utilize, duel enrollment so you can get out there quicker.

You don't have to pay that much.

Jada Samuel> Yeah, absolutely.

Save your parents even more money.

What about you, Lucas, Nya?

Did you all take any dual enrollment or honors courses?

Lucas Peters> Yes, ma'am, I did.

I actually took dual enrollment courses in the same exact building as Parah [laughs] I had the privilege to take sociology, psychology and music appreciation of Central Carolina.

Jada Samuel> Yeah.

I mean, getting music appreciation or art history or something like that out of the way isn't always a bad idea while you're in high school, right?

What about you, Nya?

Even though I didn't get a chance to go to school with these lovely people, [laughs] I did do lots of A.P.

classes while I was in high school.

And then, once I started to get into duel enrollment, I feel like I sta rted a little bit later than other people.

I did mine the first semester of my senior year, but I did a lot of like, science classes.

If I could say that any science majors out there, just go ahead and get anatomy out the way.

you will thank me in the future, I promise.

Just get it out the way while you are in high school, Jada Samuel> That was great advice, Garrison, to take those classes.

And I'm sure you took them too, right?

Absolutely.

So I want to get back to our our final thoughts.

So, Lucas said, apply, apply, apply.

That was his advice.

Garrison said, Take those dual enrollment, those A.P.

those honors courses.

And I want to hear from you two.

What advice would you give to your 10th or 11th grade self?

You want to start, Nya?

Okay.

Go ahead.

Nya Tomlin> I would probably give myself two things.

One is to apply those silly scholarships.

Like, my mom, she would send me so many scholarships, I was like, I'm probably not even going to get that.

But, looking back, I feel like I wish I would have done it because you never know.

One person also probably didn't think they were if they applied and then they got it.

And so I wish I definitely would apply to those, smaller scholarships as well as scholarships, even based off of your major or your ethnicity.

There's so many out there that people don't know about that you can apply for.

And then the second thing is, it's okay to get a no.

You're going to get so many no's, but at some point, you're going to get a yes.

You probably are going to get more no's until you get that yes.

But just to remind myself that it's okay.

Just because you're hearing your friend got this really grand scholarship and you're on your 20th scholarship that it said no to you, you're going to get a yes and to just not feel discouraged.

Jada Samuel> That's a good life lesson.

Okay, Parah.

Parah Anderson> Literally just to piggyback off all of them, but I would just say be yourself and be prepared.

This going into college, you know, you have to worry about the scholarships, college cost.

So definitely be prepared, but also be yourself.

Like, you want to go to college, but don't stress yourself.

Don't stress yourself out about it.

A lot of what people don't talk about in that process is to stress that piles upon you, so mental health is very important through that process.

I wish that I took some times because I know, like, you know, my mother's like, yeah, you got to do scholarships, scholarship, scholarships, and it's true because it paid out.

But also just taking the balance would be like, okay, dual scholarships, take some time for yourself and then go back and forth because that balance is really important, not just with scholarships, with just with life itself.

The balance is very balance is very important.

Jada Samuel> That's great advice.

I want to toss it one more time to our social media coordinator, Paulia, for any final thoughts.

Yes, we have some really good conversation going on in the chat right now.

There are different supporters who are looking for information about, scholarships in South Carolina, and I think I can get Doctor Gerrick Hampton to, talk about live scholarship, Palmetto Fellows and, Jada Samuel> I think that he might have spoken to some of that earlier in the conversation, but, can can we get the website where people can go and find more information about those scholarships?

Dr.

Gerrick Hampton> Yeah.

If they go to che.sc.gov again, che.sc.gov we have a whole scholarship page that lists requirements for all five of the programs.

The two that I didn't talk about, Palmetto Fellows and lottery tuition assistance you heard about and the South Carolina need based grant as well.

That's probably the best resource where you would go find those South Carolina scholarships, but you can always contact the Commission on Higher Education to learn more.

Jada Samuel> All right.

And if you could pass the microphone, I know that we have lots of people who would like to share, their websites for more information and resources.

So if you don't mind sharing.

Alyshia Ravenell> Yes.

If you go to the dss.sc.gov website, under the foster care tab, there's a tab for transition services and support, which is supporting our young adults who are ages 14 all the way up to age 26, who are, you know, gearing up for adulthood.

We have, all of our qualifications for our education and training voucher.

We also do have our Chafee Program, who does help our young adults who are in high school paying for those college applications.

There's S.A.T.

preps and things like that so they can go on the website and find it there.

Jada Samuel> All right.

Thank you.

Studio audience guest> Well, I just want to say that I'm just the E.T.V.

coordinator, and I'm the one that deals with the ones that are aging out of the foster care system.

I'm the one that deals with their education voucher, which is a grant that assist them in going to school, the 5,000 dollars that she spoke about.

The D.S.S.

website is good and you can also just reach us.

We're always willing to help.

Jada Samuel> Thank you.

And we're going to save that because we know that we have so many incredible, technical colleges around the state of South Carolina.

So we do want you to look at those.

But tonight we've heard stories of courage, calculation, resilience and resourcefulness.

We've heard that paying for college is not always straightforward, but it is doable.

Behind every tuition bill is a dream.

And behind every question is someone trying to make a wise decision for their future.

To our students and families, thank you all for your honesty and to our studio audience, thank you for being a part of this shared learning experience.

Paying for college is not about counting costs.

It's about counting options and counting yourself worthy of the investment.

Good night and keep counting toward your future.

♪ closing music ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪