SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — There were a handful of times when Abril Hernandez could have given up on her education.
“I was born here but grew up in Tijuana,” Hernandez said.
She first enrolled at Southwestern College in 2011 and moved to San Diego to get in-state tuition.
“It was the only way I would be able to afford school.”
Hernandez couldn't manage the rent so she left school after one semester, but she didn't give up. Hernandez re-enrolled in 2020 thanks to two part-time jobs, FAFSA, and merit scholarships.
“That’s how now I’m able to be a student and continue my journey.”
Against all odds, she’s about to finish her Associate’s and hopes to pursue a four-year degree in environmental engineering.
“I found what makes me happy. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I keep coming.”
A California bill could make the process easier for students like Hernandez. It would allow low-income students who live in Mexico within 45 miles from the border to pay in-state tuition at San Diego community colleges. This would lower their education cost from $4,000 per semester to $540.
“Other students, they have great ideas and they’re not able to get an education because they live in Tijuana.”
Students who could qualify for in-state tuition under this bill would have to be U.S. citizens or Mexican citizens with a visa. The bill is working its way through the legislature and may be heard in committee this month.
