BY: CLAIRE KIM
This is such a heart-breaking story. It gives me tears to hear that a freshman in college can not afford to live in a safe environment or barely eat enough food for herself. To say that homelessness was a “part of the college experience” for LooLoo Amante really puts a terrible feeling in my heart for her and other students that may be in a similar situation as her.
Just as the article has stated, the research results for campus hunger and homelessness really surprised many. It was shown that many college students were “struggling just to survive”. To me, this seems like a critical situation and is not something that can easily be cleaned up after.
I’m not really sure of any permanent solutions to this problem, but I can think of one temporary solution. Maybe giving a small allowance to students monthly, from the school can help students to afford certain things that are necessary for themselves. Along with that, it will also benefit students to earlier prepare themselves for financial stability when they are adults in the future.
With LooLoo Amante’s story, this article has also introduced me to some research results that have really shocked me. “Some students sleep in ditches, sheds and highway underpasses”, said by Cyekeia Lee. This is really a disaster and with other results that stated that 8 out of 12 students are homeless, it really gives the problem a more severe notice and makes me more concerned. To make the problem worse, I have heard that some students even drop out of school because the struggle is too much for them to handle. To me, dropping out of school because of personal issues is like the worst way to leave school. I never recalled a time where I saw this issue at its lowest.
Just like the article has stated, when people talk about money issues and disruptions at college, it’s mostly about tuition and other fees that are included to attend the school. However, now it seems like living costs will be the new topic of discussion.
As an incoming eighth grade student, I live with many commodities that I take for granted often. Her story has really impacted me and given me the realization that I need to be thankful for what I have right now. Most importantly, I have learned that there are many students out there that are struggling at such a young age and I feel that this situation needs to change. I also think that its ridiculous how people don’t pay attention to this rising problem and I really believe that we need to take a step forward in improving the lives of some that are hurt.
claire kim. 