Sharon's homework: after raising a family and burying a husband, Sharon Jones is aiming for self-sufficiency. Is it a long shot?
City Limits Magazine › Vol. 35 Nbr. 3, July 2011
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CHAPTER FIVE
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Sharon's homework: after raising a family and burying a husband, Sharon Jones is aiming for self-sufficiency. Is it a long shot?
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In a meeting room high atop Hunter College's East Building, a group of undergraduates are discussing the trials and tribulations of life as a college student. With the shades drawn to block out the midday sun, the five women sit around and swap stories. They talk about commuting, about juggling time commitments, about the long hours of schoolwork that are a college student's lot. "I literally live in Hunter," says Wankairys Decena, a senior from Queens. "And then at night I get home at 12, 1 sometimes. Sometimes even 3, depending on how long the library's open and how long it takes for me to do all my assignments. I cannot concentrate at my house." "Yeah, mine too." replies her classmate Sharon Jones. "It's just constant. But where do you go? And kids need to be taken care of." The conversation turns to other topics: How to study on the train in order to make it from class to your job without being late, dreaming of being able to afford to move into an apartment or even the dorms. Someone mentions the latest round of CUNY tuition hikes that came with state budget cuts: an extra $150 per class. "It's a hole," says third-year student Jannelly Lahoz. "It's like you're digging yourself deeper into the hole." Jones nods in agreement. "I feel like I'm ...See the full content of this document
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