Student Spotlight: Nashawn Martinez and the Election

An important issue for many students at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is the fact that tuition is rising, and loans are becoming more common, even though the interest rates are rising.

Nashawn Martinez, a sophomore history major at Bloomsburg University, is a first generation college student in his family.

Martinez plans to spend all four years of his college career at Bloomsburg University, so loans are an important role in his life right now.  When asked how he planned to pay back his loans, he said, “I hope to get a good job after graduating to pay back my loans.”

He, unlike many other students and friends that have talked about this issue, is comfortable saying that he will be able to pay back all of his loans, depending of course on what kind of job he gets later in life.

Another issue that many college students are talking about right now is  the comment Mitt Romney made that told American students to ask their parents to pay for college.  There are many students that cannot say that their parents can help them pay for college.  Martinez said that his mom is helping him pay for college, but he still relies on the loans that he is getting to pay for college each semester.

The most important thing that students can ask themselves as of right now is what exactly can the presidential candidates do in order to help students.  Martinez says the solution lies within the interest rates being lowered, as well as more money being awarded to Pell Grants within the United States.

The problem that many students are facing right now is the fact they do not see the value in their education.  It is very difficult to convince a student that even though they are paying several thousand, or even tens of thousands of dollars, that their education is worth it, because most average Americans today do not have that kind of money readily available.  Martinez chooses to be optimistic about this and says, “I think my education is worth more than anything.  I would pay any amount to get my education, but we have to be realistic the tuition is high.”

All of this debate and discussion is really becoming something that is stressful to many students.  Although not all students find it to be keeping them up at night, many are hesitant to make drastic decisions with their money, because they know the amount of money that they will have to start paying is just a short time after graduating.

 Martinez is currently working at a local fast food restaurant.  Working late nights and walking  from upper campus down to Route 11 doesn’t seem to bother him.  He believes that if this were the only job that he would be able to support himself long term.  He says, “Any money is better than none.”  This is something that many students struggle with since there are not many jobs available on  or around the campus.

When asking the tough question to students wording it correctly can be difficult.  Who are you voting for?  Many students either do not know because they do not know enough about either of the candidates, or they do not know because they are torn between the two candidates.  Martinez also had a tough time answering this question at first, and even gave a little more of an explanation of why he was voting for who he was voting for.

“Obama, but I’m an independent,” Nashawn replied.  He wanted to be clear that he was voting for whoever it was that made sense as of right now, but did not necessarily want to take one side over another.

Many other students on campus also replied with a similar statement in regards to not choosing one side over another, because it was a matter of who made the most sense, or who they would benefit from more.

The many issues and debates going on with this election are things that will deeply impact the future of many college students.  Martinez was a student willing to share his views and opinions and hopes to inspire others to focus more on the election at hand.

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