I got a full tuition scholarship, then she really started to cry—tears of much joy.

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. 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. I would describe my undergraduate years as extremely focused and dedicated.

I worked throughout undergrad and a good portion of postgrad. I've always wanted to be a teacher

ever since I was five 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. I am

pregnant with my second daughter. 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. 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.