The Conversation That Almost Ended My College Journey

In The Know with Tony Reeves · Aug 3, 2026 · 14m

A few weeks into my freshman year, I was pulled out of class and told that I owed the university $900. It was 1987.My student loan had not been processed, my mother could not pay the bill without jeopardizing her own ability to survive, and I was warned that I could be removed from school. I was only 18 years old. In this episode of IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves, I reflect on the emotional weight of that conversation, the painful reality many students face when financial aid falls short, and the moment I realized that I would have to take responsibility for finding a way to finance my own…