Karen C | Alexandria

1997...I was 18 and starting my first year of college at Virginia Commonwealth University. I am a first generation American and an only child of parents who had less than a high school education level.  My parents were able to pay for my first semester tuition with the savings they earned as cooks. I should have been very proud and excited, was I...far from it. I was 7 months pregnant and hiding my pregnancy from my parents. Eventually, I dropped out of college, became a single mother and worked an entry level job.  When my daughter was 4 years old, my aunt told me about Virgina529. I remember her telling me “I know its tough now, but just a few hundred dollars each month will help her and you in the future.” I was hesitant and was afraid to commit to paying a bill for 14 years, though it was an investment...it felt like a bill. I realized by opening a Virginia529 savings account, it would secure a future for her. People always told me that the best years of their life were their college days, so many times after hearing that, I wish I could say “me too!” Thanks to the Virginia529 college savings account, my daughter will be able to enjoy the best years of her life and this is one thing I could give her that I wasn’t able to give to myself. It will turn her hopes and dreams into reality.