Erica DeJesus

Erica DeJesusSt. Lawrence University
Class of 2004
Computer Science and Spanish
Hometown: Bronx, NY

Many children dream of attending college, yet college expenses can burden families. Fortunately, financial aid can make the dream of a good education a reality. Financial aid has helped me to attend St. Lawrence University.

I aspire to be a software engineer. I would like to create game software to help my community with language skills or the basics of mathematics. I would like to become a role model, demonstrating that success in life comes from hard work.

During my high school years, I thought that it was nearly impossible to attend a private college like St. Lawrence University, and knew she couldn’t afford to send me. I saw my mother struggle to make ends meet. She is the head of our household, caring for two daughters. My mother couldn’t receive aid from my father because he is currently incarcerated.

If it weren’t for the need of a college diploma to succeed in this life, I would be working full-time to help out my family. In the Latino culture, it is the responsibility of the children, as they grow older, to help out the family. This is the reason that there are so many dropouts who prefer to earn money rather than a higher education.

Programs like the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program and the Tuition Assistance Program give underrepresented students like me opportunities to further our education so that we can succeed.

C-STEP has helped me pay for books and also will assist me with my future graduate school applications and the specialized exams like the GRE. C-STEP also enables me to explore the fields of science and technology and provides me with networking and recognition opportunities.