Attending college can be costly for students, so turning to federal or private loans is an option for many students. With costs for classes, textbooks, living and other things, expenses add up quickly. The thought of paying for classes without loans seems impossible, but one student at the University of Kansas manages to do that and more.
Emmanuel Hernandez, a senior studying information systems and minoring in geographic information science (GIS), chose his major because of how rapidly technology is growing in the modern world.
“I thought that of all the business majors it gave me the widest range of fields to go into after graduation. I chose GIS because the demand for people with those abilities is higher than the supply, with continual growth projected in the field in years to come,” Emmanuel said.
Emmanuel also is a part of KU’s honors program, Delta Sigma Pi fraternity and Information Systems Association of Kansas (ISAK) where speakers come in from tech companies and ISAK participants plan networking events for CEO’s in Kansas City. He’s also involved with KU’s entrepreneurship club, lacrosse and is interning at A/E Credentialing, a tech startup company.
In order to pay for tuition, Emmanuel works as the head waiter (the shift leader) at Jose Peppers in Overland Park, KS, going back on weekends to work. Working there for almost three years, Jose’s has been his main source of income for school but also has received academic scholarships for school. As a foreign student, Emmanuel is not eligible for FAFSA money or government grants and he chooses not to pull out private loans.
“I like the ability to be able to walk away from school if anything were to happen and not be liable for a huge debt,” Emmanuel said. The average amount of student college debt ranges from $25,0000-$35,000 and can take up to ten or more years to pay off completely.
Paying your way through school can be a difficult task but the long-term benefit of not having to worry about loans is a luxury many students do not have. “I value the hard work ethic instilled by my parents and family that have allowed me to get this far. I would not be where I am today without them and am very appreciative of the opportunities I have been given,” Emmanuel said.
After graduation, Emmanuel plans to work for a large company like BNSF Railway or Esri, doing something with logistics analytics or project management. He also plans to go to grad school for urban planning and design.