College Affordability - Aug. 10, 2015

MADISON: When I got my first acceptance letter, mom started to cry and when she saw that I got a full tuition scholarship then she really start to cry. Tears of much joy.

SHAMIT: So my parents are immigrants from Bangladesh. They came here for the prospect of a better life for their kids and an education. My dad reminds me of that often.

CHLARA: My one brother and I were the first to go to college. I had never been more inspired, more enlightened, more excited about my position in the world and who I could be and the empowerment that comes with that.

JUSTIN: I would describe my undergraduate years as extremely focused and dedicated. I worked throughout the undergrad and a good portion of post-grad.

DENISE: I've always wanted to be a teacher, ever since I was 5 years old. Most teachers I know are still paying their loans from college, and as a result many teachers that I know, including myself, have a second job.

MILEE: I am pregnant with my second daughter. When you look at how much will it cost my kid to go to college, and you literally want to throw up. I don't know how we're going to do it all.

CLINTON: I believe our success isn't measured by how much the wealthiest Americans have, but by how many young people go to college without drowning in debt. I want to make college affordable. Higher education should be a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it.