NJ Spotlight News is highlighting opinion pieces from college students taking a closer look at major New Jersey issues.

Before I started my last semester at Montclair State University, my father told me that he had once dreamed of becoming a doctor. I was surprised — he had never shared that before. My father is from Guatemala, and like many Guatemalans who immigrate to the United States, he told me he came here hoping to build a better life and live the American dream.

But without college, my father wasn’t able to fulfill his dream and had to go work as a machine operator to provide for his family.

His story helped me understand why he’s always been so determined for me to finish college and pursue my own dreams. He never had the financial means to go to college, and it’s not hard to imagine how different his life might have been if he’d had access to federal student aid.

I now stand as a different story. Unlike most of my peers, I’m finishing college in three years instead of the usual four, because of the financial aid I received. And as financial aid cuts loom, I worry about the human stakes of those cuts for other students like myself.

My Experience

Originally, I planned to attend community college since the first two years would be free — it was all about saving money and helping my family. When I first applied for FAFSA, I remember feeling such relief knowing my first semester at Montclair State University would be completely covered by federal aid. My family didn’t have to pay anything, and for the first time, college felt truly possible.

But as semesters passed and tuition kept rising, the amount of aid I received couldn’t fully cover my costs anymore. What once felt like an open door started to feel like a growing weight. I began worrying about my family taking on more financial strain just to keep me in school.

That pressure motivated me to take 18 credits or more almost every semester. I knew that taking on additional coursework would help me receive more financial aid. I had to work harder so I could graduate early—not just to save money, but to honor the sacrifices my family made to help me get here.

For most students like me, opportunity isn’t given, it’s earned. Success is graduating from college and getting a degree, though not everyone gets to have that experience. Due to the exorbitant and rising cost of college tuition, many are dependent on federal aid programs.

Federal Cuts Looming

President Trump’s second term has prompted major concerns about cuts to these programs. Although the final version of what the Trump administration called the “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed Congress in July averted some of the proposed cuts to the Pell Grant program and made vocational programs newly eligible, it set new loan limits for parents and caregivers who use PLUS loans to help put their kids through college, set a new lifetime borrowing limit, and made big changes to repayment programs that will make it more difficult for graduates to get out from under their debt.

During a virtual press meeting hosted by Montclair State University’s Center for Cooperative Media on October, U.S. Senator Andy Kim discussed the growing concerns among students regarding the national student debt crisis and the uncertain future of federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and work-study programs.

Kim described himself as “a Pell Grant kid” and emphasized how these federal programs helped make college possible for his own family.  “I was also work-study,” he said. “These programs gave me the opportunity to build a future.”

“I’ve tried to put forward legislation that would dramatically increase the number of Pell Grants we give as a country, as well as raise the amount one can receive per grant, because that’s remained stagnant for so many years,” Kim told us.

MSU’s place

According to the Montclair State University website, nearly half of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and over 76% of students depend on some form of financial assistance. The average student debt at MSU is around $22,000 — notably lower than the national average of $29,300. However, with tuition costs continuing to rise each semester, students and families remain concerned about the accessibility of higher education.

“Every year, the tuition increases but the financial aid does not increase,” said Shantenia Brown, senior at Montclair State University who is studying chemistry. “I’m a first-generation student. In my family, no one went to school and if they did, they did a year maybe or went to a community college. But nobody has graduated. I need financial aid from my circumstances and my family being low income.”

At Montclair State University, a diverse institution with an 87.4% acceptance rate, roughly half of all undergraduates come from low-income families and qualify for Pell Grants. Additionally, about nearly half of students identify as first-generation.

According to the Education Data Initiative, more than 160,000 students in New Jersey rely on Pell Grants to afford higher education, with the average recipient receiving about $5,093 in aid. This federal assistance plays a crucial role in helping low- and middle-income students stay enrolled and reduce the financial burden of college tuition across the state.

Destiny Taliaferro is a Montclair State junior who is currently studying public health with a minor in biology.

“One of the hardest parts has been how stressful and unpredictable the process can feel,” she said. “Even though I rely on financial aid to afford school, there’s always uncertainty about how much I’ll receive or whether it will be enough.”

My father

With the growing concern over potential cuts to financial aid, many students are left struggling to figure out how they’ll afford to continue their college careers.

I’m a Guatemalan-American who grew up in Princeton. I’m proud to say that I will graduate this semester, and as I prepare for my final weeks of college. I look back at the position I’m in today.

I’ll be the first in my family to earn a college degree and walk across the stage. I know I’ll be filled with emotion and gratitude, knowing that every sacrifice my family made for me has finally paid off.

But the person I hope to make the most proud is my father. He’s not a very open person, and I know it was hard for him to tell me that he wanted to become a doctor. I don’t know how my father will react to me walking across the stage, but I’m sure he’ll be filled with the same emotions as I have.