Hello, my name is Rameshwar Chaudhary. I am a Junior attending Menlo College, pursuing a bachelor's degree in Business Marketing with a minor in Social Justice and Equity. Navigating my college career has not always been an easy feat. As a first generation minority student I have faced many barriers: including financial instability and having a disability. Although overcoming these barriers have helped me become more resilient, a part of me worries about the obstacles that lay ahead: Will there be another flare? Will I have the resources to make ends meet?

 In 2017 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Ulcerative Colitis. Ulcerative Colitis is a condition that causes my colon to become inflamed with ulcers and sores. This condition also affects other parts of the body and can cause inflammation in the joints. Last October I had to make the difficult decision to get surgery. This surgery is just the first of three surgeries I need to improve my health and quality of life. In this surgery my colon was removed and I was given a temporary ostomy. During my recovery time I did not qualify for disability leave pay and had returned to work as soon as I could. I am currently preparing for my next surgery in the upcoming summer. Although I am excited to take the next steps towards a healthier life, I also have to worry about my financial burdens tied to being a student with a disability.

 This past academic year has been a transformative one for Menlo College and myself. I joined Student Government as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a position that I hold near and dear to my heart. As a member of Student Government I was informed I would receive a scholarship. However, it was not clear how much assistance I would be receiving since the Student Life Advisor had left 2 weeks into the semester. Unfortunately, there was a disconnect between the Business Office and the Financial Aid office and I was told that my gap was $1,000 instead of $5,000. Although I received aid as a full time student, the Business office had projected my cost of attendance as a part time student.

 This error was not caught until December when I received my December statement stating that I owed $5,000 for the semester. Fortunately I was able to petition to register for classes in the spring semester. The downside is that I still need to pay off about $10,000 before the end of Summer to register for classes in the Fall. Unfortunately there is nothing more Menlo College can do for me at the time. Despite these hardships, I decided to preserve and use the skills I have learned through my various hardships. I applied to various scholarships and reached out to the academic programs I am a part of. I also created a Spring schedule that is manageable and maximizes the amount of hours I can work. As I was beginning to get a handle of things, I received devastating news from my insurance. I was informed that my monthly ostomy supplies will have less coverage. This effectively increased my monthly co-pay from $15 to over $100. Although I have found some programs to assist me in receiving ostomy supplies my overall monthly costs are still around $109.

 Despite taking these steps I am still finding it difficult to make ends meet. As a full time student, I am limited in the amount of hours I can work. Furthermore, I also have to plan and begin to save up for my next surgery in the summer. Thank you for taking the time out to read my story and I would truly appreciate the support.