Help A Navajo Dad Pay For College

Ya'at'eeh (Hello) my name is Kevin Begay. I am a Native American and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation tribe. I am wanting to go back to school at San Juan College (SJC) in New Mexico to earn an associates degree in Instrumentation Controls and Electrical. I applied to SJC and was accepted. I filled out the proper paperwork for my FAFSA and had it submitted to SJC but it was determined that my EFC (Expected Family Contribution) was too high and I didn't qualify for any financial aid assistance, i.e. federal pell grants, state pell grants, etc. I have been wanting to go through this program for quite some time so that I could find a good job that I enjoy and that would provide a good living for my family.

My family and I just moved back to New Mexico (for me to take another job closer to home.) We had lived in Kansas from October 2009-November 2019. My wife and I have four kids together, I work full time and she works part time. We earn enough to live comfortably and provide for our kids. I am still considered an out of state student and have to pay out of state tuition. Paying out of pocket for my school expenses for my first year is just too much for us and I need help. We have tried to find second jobs to help pay for my schooling but due to the current situation with COVID-19 we have been unsuccessful in securing second jobs.

The estimated cost per year at SJC for out of state students is $17,000+. I am needing help to pay for tuition, fees, books and other supplies needed for school (the tuition alone for one semester is $3,100, and I still have to purchase books.) I am registered as a full time student and taking 16 credits hours this fall semester. I plan on remaining a full time student until I am able to graduate with my associates degree. 

I do not have many other options to get funds at such late notice. Any financial support would be greatly appreciated at this time. If you can't help with donations at this time, simply sharing this post will help me tremendously. I would love to be able to start my first year of this program with as little additional financial/emotional stress as possible for both myself and my family, despite the ongoing pandemic. Thank you.

-Kevin

Venmo: @begaykevin

**I do plan on giving back to the community after I graduate. Whether it would be in the form of monetary donations or service work. There are still a lot of homes in and around the reservation without electricity and I want to help in securing that basic necessity.