Emily Stutz is a hardworking high school student who has maintained a 4.0 GPA while working two jobs.
She applied for every scholarship offered through her high school that she could, yet struggled to pay for her college education.
“It became apparent to me that it was going to be difficult to fund my education when I got my financial aid letters,” Stutz, an 18-year-old senior at Lowell High School, told ABC News. “I kind of prepared myself for the worst, but when I got my letters it was rough.”
The deadline to commit to a school was fast approaching, and Stutz joked with her family that she would stand in the street and ask for the $20,000 to $30,000 a year she needed for college. Usually, students whose parents cannot afford to pay for college will take out student loans.
Stutz says, “In my situation, this is not an option. My parents have had immense financial struggles and simply cannot come up with $20,000-$30,000 a year, nor are they able to cosign a loan for me. I have no other adults in my life who are able to cosign and I am at a loss. I see my dream of becoming a doctor slip further and further away as the days pass by so I’ve decided I am going to do whatever it will take to get myself to college.”
After some thought, Stutz decided that panhandling to raise money for her college tuition was a good idea.
She took to the streets of Lowell, Massachusetts with a sign that read, “H.S. SENIOR No $ for College Anything Helps.”
In two days of standing outside and begging for money, Stutz raised more than $600 and another $16,000 from a GoFundMe page that she created.
“I can’t believe how quickly this has picked up,” she said. “I received support from all over the country. They believe in me so much and I can’t thank them enough for that.”
Stutz does not plan to continue panhandling but said she is happy she could bring attention to a situation affecting students all over the country.
Stutz is still undecided where she will be attending school, but she will major in psychology to pursue her dream of becoming a psychiatrist.
What do you think about this student panhandling for her college education? Would you ever do it?
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[Featured Image Credit: Emily Stutz GoFundMe]
High School Student Panhandles To Raise Money For College Tuition is an article from: LifeDaily