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My name is Michael Smetana and for 7 years now I have been trying to make through College. Currently I am enrolled in the College of Engineering at the University of Central Florida. I am trying to achieve a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Unfortunately throughout my time trying to go to college get my degree and "Make it" in life I have fallen short. For Seven long college years I have been scrapping by, watching what I eat, trying to save up enough money just to get to class. Its been hard and I'm really only half way done. 69 college credits and I need 126, and that's just for my BS degree.

Let me tell you how it all started. Back in 2000 I graduated from High School where I was Number 12 out of 450 graduates that summer. I was very good at sports, acting, math, etc. I was working at a place called Lewis Marine Supply for about 20 hours a week. Of course, at that time I really didn't need much. My parents provided a home for me to live and some food to eat. College started and I attended one of America's top Engineering Schools, Florida Institute of Technology.

College was the "rude awakening" as everyone says, but I didn't party. I didn't drink. I really didn't do anything my first year of college except for eat, sleep, work, drive my car(back and fourth school to home to Work), attend class, and do my homework. That was one of the most difficult times of my life. The downfall was that college cost me every penny I had worked for plus thousands of dollars on high interest rate credit cards. Why didn't I just take a loan? Well there were two problems: one, no credit, and two, parents would sign for it. My step father claimed that it would hurt his debt to income ratio, and my father said that I would be alright and he would pray for me. Now, I understood all these things but that didn't buy my school books that I didn't have money for.  As for grant money, I was under twenty four years old, I didn't qualify because my parents made too much money per year.  So here I was 3.8 GPA High School graduate with no money to go to school.  No way to get grants, no credit to get them on my own.

So, I made it through my first year of college at Florida Institute of Technology and well needless to say, I was broke, out of gas in my car, and up to my ears in debt. See I tried my best by working all summer long 55 plus hours a week every week and not spending it. I paid my credit cards as much as a could, putting all my money back toward them. The credit card company kept upping my limit. I eventually Hit 8000 dollar limit when I was twenty. I wasn't foolish with my money and I knew how hard it was to make 8000 dollars so I spent only what I had to spend to get by. So the 2001 college year was about to start and I found myself without enough credit, loans, or workable budget to drive to work, school, and home again six sometimes seven days a week.

I started at a Community College down the street from where I worked, I paid everything that my scholarship didn't with my credit card. I guess that was affordable, if you want to assume that. Well, you do get what you pay for. I took classes at Brevard Community College for the Next two years, working two jobs at the same time. Now, once I started at Brevard Community College my Mother and Step Father were going through a nasty divorce so I had to get out of the house and find a place to live all on my own. That is why I had to take on a second job. So now I was working 50 hours a week every week and taking 12 credits at a time to get my Associates Degree. Now this degree really doesn't mean anything today. Business owners don't take it as a meaningful degree, at least where I live that is.  To me and to just about everyone else it was a stepping stone to yet another expensive (less then Florida Institute of Technology) college.

For the next two years following my Associates Degree I worked long hours, sometimes 80 or more per week at two jobs meaning no overtime, and took every penny I had and sent it away to my new credit card debts.  I can remember a time I worked 151 straight days without a day that I didn't go to work.  I got used to the work, it seemed to be a way of life for me.  Scrapping by, working 80 hours a week, just to pay back credit cards that funded my education for 3 years.  There was one time I really thought it was possible to get out of debt, but since I was spending every penny paying back my debts I spent the credit cards to fix my car or visit a doctor.  You see I didn't have insurance to pay for anything because the two jobs that I was working at both considered me part-time.  It was really fine with me, except for when I had conjunctive tonsillitis and they had to remove my tonsils. Or, when I dropped something on my foot and toe nearly fell off. Yes, I wish I had insurance then.

Two years of two jobs had the best of me, so I quit them both for one 40 hours per week job at Washington Mutual Bank, where I did loan recoveries.  The Recovery Team is the team that tries to collect when a loan is defaulted and the bank has written it off as a loss.  I was very successful at this job, but just barely squeaked by.  If it wasn't for the bonuses I would not have made it.  Working at a bank I learned about bankruptcies and the effects toward credit and credibility.  After careful consideration, I determined that this was my only way out.  This was the only way that I could finally move away from where I was and move to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida.  I filed, and I felt ashamed.  It wasn't something that I wanted to talk about, or hear about anymore.  On one side I had this financial burden removed from my back, on the other I just lost my credibility.

About four months after discharge, I quit my job moved out to Orlando, reapplied at UCF, and started a job as a temp.  The temp job lasted about three months and was a great learning experience, but when they discovered that my goal of moving to Orlando was to attend college full time, they replaced me with a more permanent worker.  I was unable to get another job after that, even the temporary agency ignored me.  So it has been two months since I have made any money, I feel like a bum.  I'm broke, can barely afford to put gas in my car, or pay the electric bill, but I am enrolled at The University of Central Florida's Engineering program.

Today I learned that my books are going to cost about 800 dollars for my first semester.  I haven't figured out yet how I am going to pay them.  My father still says I will be alright, my mom divorced and with nothing.  If you have read this far, you know my struggles. You may know my pain, and I hope that you help your own family at any cost.

Since, I don't have anyone to help me buy my books, get anything for college this semester or next or the one after that, would you help me? 

Please, Email me at mjsmikey@excite.com (this is also my Paypal account if you would like to donate).

Any donations will be used directly for costs of school, any additional money will be used to start a scholarship of my own.  I have yet to name it, but I'm sure it will be named after the most money.

Thank you, and God bless you.

Michael Smetana