Chelsea

Chelsea is a first generation college student. At the start of the program, she had recently been accepted to a graduate program, and her biggest source of stress was trying to figure out what she was going to do for money while she goes to school. Growing up low-income and without family support, she felt at a disadvantage. “I put myself through school, and I’ll have to do that again. I guess not having a family contribution to my education has been the biggest financial hardship.” When she learned about the $1,000, she saw it as evening the playing field, and bringing her up to level with her middle class friends. 

Now, three years later, Chelsea has graduated with a master's degree. Additionally, she was able to move to a safer, more walkable neighborhood because of the unconditional cash. She also used the money to invest in a business professional wardrobe. The money did not fix everything for Chelsea. Since graduating, she is now struggling to find a job in her field. She also no longer has health insurance through her school and is not able to afford medical care. She is currently making ends meet with financial help from her partner. Despite this, Chelsea feels optimistic about her future and credits the program. “I'm a little bit more accomplished now. I'm the first in my family to have a master's degree, and I do feel like they're going in the right direction overall.”