July 2017 Sweepstakes Survey Results

by | Sep 7, 2017 | Family Blog

Thank you for participating in our July $100 sweepstakes! A total of 78 parents submitted their answers to enter the drawing. Check out what parents learned from the July newsletter.

Congrats to Our July Sweepstakes Winner,
Eugenio Gonzalez!

Eugenio Gonzalez was our sweepstakes winner in April last year. This time, we wanted to talk to him about what he has been doing now that his daughter, Lucia, a La Vida Scholar will be graduating from high school next year. He shares that before joining Inversant he did not take any college savings steps because it never crossed his mind that Lucia wanted to go to college. They were all under the impression that college was a costly investment that only the rich could afford. At that time, he was worried Lucia was going to follow the same steps of many high school graduates from her community – focusing on getting a job and living paycheck to paycheck. Fortunately, the Gonzalez’s mentality changed after joining the program. Eugenio explains how grateful and fortunate he feels for joining the program and how far they have come as a family in order to help Lucia attain a higher education. He talked about of all the information he has been able to learn in regards to college and how they are working as a family to help Lucia be the best student she can be. His favorite workshops and newsletters have been the ones that talked about student loans. He mentions that no matter how many times he has heard it, the student loan debt statistics in the country surprises him. He is glad that now he knows about loans and repayment plans designed to meet the different needs of the borrowers such as those that allow a temporary reduction based on the borrower’s income.

Even though Eugenio didn’t go to college himself, he understands the importance of having a higher education. His wife went to college and wants Lucia to experience it as well. They both want a better future for Lucia “because with the way things are going in this country, one has to prepare as best as possible.” To Eugenio, a college degree translates to a better job opportunity, a good job would help one to be financially stable and that’s what he wants for Lucia.

He believes others should start saving for their child’s education as soon as possible and he encourages other families to be more open about higher education. Eugenio agrees, “it is important to have some money on the side to help our kids accomplish their dreams in regards to higher education.” In addition, Eugenio suggests families be more open about higher education, a higher education shouldn’t automatically translate into a four-year education. A two-year degree or a technical certificate can offer students the same benefits of a four-year education. He believes as parents, “we should always support our kids no matter what”. Lucia is not sure what schools she is applying to but she loves reading and math. Currently, she is taking pre-engineering classes at Lynn Tech but she isn’t sure that’s the major she would pursue in college. Eugenio and his family are doing everything they can to support Lucia. Eugenio feels so proud of Lucia already, she loves seeing her going to school and doing the right thing. His future proudest moment would be seeing his daughter walking up the stage to get her higher education diploma and later become a professional.

Don’t miss your chance to win the next $100 sweepstakes! You have until September 30 to submit your answers to September’s survey. E-mail [email protected] if you have not received our newsletters or sweepstake surveys. For more details please visit www.inversant.org/sweepstakes.

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