Talia’s College Tuition

My name is Talia Lynn Daugherty. I graduated high school during the COVID-19 outbreak and had to transfer to online school mid-way through my senior year. It is my dream to go to college. I will be the first in my family to go to college and to graduate. Just to learn a little bit about me, my freshman year of high school they found a benign brain tumor on my pituitary gland. While luckily it was not cancerous it caused extreme migraines. Some were so bad to the point I could not physically walk. Yet I continued to go to school on the days I was able to. Throughout my high school career I was involved in a female/male sorority called Sigma Alpha Sigma, JROTC, JROTC’s JLab Leadership team(we went to nationals the two years I was apart of the team), Key Club, GSA, ASL club, and Cheerleading. I also took advanced placement and honors classes throughout my entire high school career. While they were stressful and at times difficult because I was working a job and helping to care for my Mother through her health spiral, they taught me to be persistent about my hopes and aspirations. I learned that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to even if that meant 1am study nights. My Junior year I was recruited by Webber International University and I had a finalized and accepted their offer to cheer on their collegiate cheerleading team in the early fall of my senior year. My total tuition was originally $42,000 dollars but through both academic and sports scholarships and grants that I have earned, I have managed to bring the total down to $11,026. Through both the COVID-19 outbreak and my moms health decline my family has struggled to make ends meet. But our family motto is if there’s a will there’s a way! I’m planning on going to college to get my Bachelors degree in Business Athletics Direction (also know as business sports management). I plan to use my degree to open my very own cheerleading and gymnastics gym in Polk County. I want to be able to help our county grow and develop. My ultimate goal is to bring our community together and to provide a place where the boys and girls of our community can learn team building and skills to apply every time they walk out my gym doors. I however can only accomplish this goal if I am able to attend college to learn how to successfully coach, run, and manage my dream business. While my parents and I have applied for student loans I have been denied on 3 separate occasions. During college I will be working 2 full time jobs as well as fulfilling my responsibilities to my sport and especially my academics. I will have to pay $1,200 a month. For my family that is currently not a financial option that we have available. If you are able to donate anything at all to help me go to college it would be greatly appreciated. Or if you need errands or even yard work done for a donation to my college fund I would be happy and grateful to do so! Or if you have great credit and would be willing to co-sign a student loan for me that would be amazing too ;) . I do not have to payback any loans until I graduated but as I work will began making payments while I am in school. If you would like anymore information or anymore reasons on why I should be able to go to college please feel free to contact me at (407) [phone redacted].