Literacy for Life: It Takes a Village

About Jennifer LedwithAgain and again, people told me that my mother -- a single parent with serious debt and no child support -- made too much money for me to get any free money for college. I didn't finish in the top 10% of my high school class (which is academic poison in my home state of Texas). I didn't even have the highest SAT scores out of my classmates. But when I walked across the stage at graduation, I had the most scholarships. The announcer was still reading them after I had crossed the stage.Even then, I didn't have enough money for school. I worked and worked and continued to write essays and apply for scholarships. I graduated from an out-of-state university with no credit card debt and only $1,000 in student loans. Hey, a girl needs plane tickets.