College Fund

My name is Riley Huestis and I graduated in 2023 and am heading off to college. I am playing rugby for Long Beach State but will be attending Long Beach City College for school. This is an amazing opportunity for me because not only do I get to continue to play rugby, but I also get to go to college and possibly better my life. This move will change the trajectory of my life and my family's life.

I applied for financial aid and received some money from the state but not nearly enough to help me with rent, food, schooling, etc. Unfortunately, I have two things working against my success in college. First of all, my family doesn't have money to support me in college (they wish they could help me, but it is just not possible for them). Secondly, I really struggle academically. I have ADHD and have struggled my whole life in school. I am willing to work hard and get help, but it just takes a lot of extra time and effort.

There are two main reasons college students drop out of college: Financial reasons (42% of dropouts, drop out due to financial insecurity) and academic unpreparedness. They say that "approximately 48 percent of students who had experienced financial challenges while enrolled agreed they had difficulty concentrating on academics because of their finances. Among respondents, nontraditional students, first-generation students and students with jobs were more likely to have difficulty focusing on academics due to financial concerns, compared to their peers" (2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey).

I am financially insecure.

I am a first-generation student.

I will need to do a lot of extra tutoring hours which will limit the amount of time I can work.

Please help change the course of my life by contributing to this fund. I will be using this money to pay rent, buy food, and pay for gas. I will be working, playing rugby and going to school full time.