Page 335 - Keys to College Success

student PROFILE

Charlotte Buckley

HINDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE,
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
About me: study. Although I sometimes feel very busy, I keep my goal right
I am 39 years old. I dropped out of in front of me: A good education is a ticket to a better-paying
high school and didn’t return to job. Second, our family has to run on a tight budget. I did get
school for 20 years. I wanted to married three years ago, so things aren’t as tight as they were,
finish my education, but as a single mom raising two kids, I but we all keep our long-term goals in view to resist spending
couldn’t figure out how to go back to school. My teenage daugh- money on things we don’t need. I’ve always stressed to my two
ter helped me gain the courage to get my GED through Hinds’ kids, and now to my two stepchildren, that a college education
Dropout Recovery Initiative. I discovered I had an interest in nurs- is a need, not a want.
ing and was able to find a work–study program so I could continue
What will help me in the workplace:
attending college classes at Hinds. Now I am applying to a nursing
school in Memphis. Living on a budget and sacrificing now for long-term goals later,
involve a lot of discipline. In the workforce, discipline allows you
What I focus on: to make commitments to excellence even when the going gets
I have a family to help support and I must balance working with tough. Discipline helps you weather some of the temporary storms
going to school. First of all, the work–study program is amazing. in the working world and in life.
I believe everyone who needs financial aid should consider work–

Roth IRA, the money you contribute is considered part of your earnings and is not
tax deductible. However, once you are 59-1/2 years old and have had your Roth for at
least five years, you can withdraw the money without paying taxes on it.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed about finances at this point in your life,
you’re not alone. Many college students, especially those for whom financial respon-
sibility is a new experience, have similar feelings. However, the University of Arizona
reports that “the benefits of financial knowledge extend beyond having money into
realms of physical and psychological well-being.” Keep learning about money man-
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agement and making thoughtful decisions, and your actions will contribute to success
for life.

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