CLEVELAND — 18-year-old St. Edward High School senior, Alex Kiernozek, dreams of becoming a filmmaker.
“For me, I think college would definitely help me for my major that I would want to do, which is digital media production,” Kiernozek tells 3News.
For him, attending a higher education institution is the next step. As the oldest of two, what Kiernozek is concerned about is how the cost of college will impact his family.
“I kind of want to be able to help my mom with the money by finding scholarships, working a lot,” Kiernozek says.
He has visited Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Baldwin Wallace, and Kent State, with BW as one of his top choices. But with the school announcing layoffs and program cuts, Kiernozek’s mom Ann says her biggest worry is making sure her son has the support he needs to be successful.
“I’m definitely concerned about BW,” Ann Kiernozek tells 3News. “When you hear these things about budget cuts and program cuts, that's just in the next year, what happens (the) year after and the year after, (I) want to make sure that he's in a school that's going to be around, and his program will be around.”
She is also concerned about tuition.
“Obviously they're cutting cost but obviously tuition is the other side of the equation and so I expect that will go up,” Ann Kiernozek explains. “It's a private school, so I expect that will probably become unreachable for us.”
The Kiernozeks have relied on counselors at St. Ed’s through the college selection process, while others turn to the organization Dr. Michele Scott Taylor leads.
“We work with high school students and adults to help them navigate what life could be like after the high school diploma,” Scott Taylor says.
She is the president of College Now Greater Cleveland, an organization that helps people access higher ed.
Scott Taylor says the price tag for college has increased because costs in general are rising. There’s also a reduction in federal and state aid going to higher ed institutions.
“There’s a philosophy that it’s more of a private good than a public good,” Scott Taylor says. “Some people feel like if you can pay for it, you go, if you can’t pay for it, you don’t go.”
She believes education benefits the entire community, so it should be considered an investment.
“The best analogy I have is we will spend 20, 30, 40, 50 thousand dollars on a car loan, why not spend it on yourself,” Scott Taylor asks. “It is going to be a better payoff over the course of your life than a car loan will.”
Her opinion is there are some loans that are “good student loans.”
“The ones that are subsidized by the government with low interest, with generous repayment options,” Scott Taylor says.
Besides earning scholarships and taking out student loans, Scott Taylor says attending a community college to save money, later transferring to a four-year institution can be beneficial to some.
She admits that parents and guardians financially supporting their children will need to save more to pay for college. Students also need to do well academically to open up more educational options.
“Higher Ed is not going anywhere because we need people with degrees,” Scott Taylor says.
When students and parents are trying to determine the health of a university they’re considering, the former higher education leader recommends searching the school’s website for specific information.
“Basically, it's the annual report of an institution,” Scott Taylor shares. “It talks about who's enrolled, what students retain, meaning who comes back the next year.”
She says the report also discloses graduation rates, how many graduates secure employment and how many go off to graduate school.
“There’s a lot you can learn by studying an institution’s website,” she says.
Even with the issues in higher education, Kiernozek is committed to his plan, telling 3 News he will work as hard as he can and do the best that he can to make his family proud.
Kiernozek wants to attend Kent State University in the fall, but like other high school seniors across the county, he is now waiting to receive financial aid award letters to confirm his decision. Schools are delayed in sending out aid packages this year because of issues with the rollout of the new FAFSA form.
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