Bottom Line

Jazlynn, a current senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and a student in Bottom Line’s Success program has always been excited to get her degree.

“Going to college has always been the big picture for me because my mom took college classes but never graduated and neither did my dad,” said Jazlynn. “They were always pushing me to go to college so I could be financially stable.”

Jazlynn, a highly motivated pre-law student, has been steadily working toward that goal. Throughout college, she’s taken on three jobs to provide for herself while being enrolled full-time in school.

Last spring when COVID-19 started affecting how her courses were taught, her hours at work, and her living situation, she felt confident about navigating the effects of the pandemic and adapting to the virtual environment.

However, the fall semester of her senior year started taking a toll on her. By the time Thanksgiving came around, she had experienced her third COVID-19 exposure since the pandemic started, and had to quarantine yet again. Luckily, she was able to avoid getting the virus each time.

This past semester Jazlynn took a heavy fall course load, and due to the hours at all of her jobs being cut over the summer and this fall due to COVID-19, she did not have the financial buffer that she usually had. On top of those stresses, the isolation of her living and working environments was mentally and emotionally exhausting.

“It was taxing… I couldn’t have any guests over, couldn’t have anyone in my room, and I couldn’t interact with any of my colleagues,” said Jazlynn.

When she was forced to move to new on-campus housing that no longer included a meal plan, she was left with the additional cost of groceries and fewer work hours than ever to cover her bills. She was able to get food from the on-campus food pantry for students facing food insecurity, but they had limited hours and supplies, and she often had to consciously eat less per day or skip meals.

When one of her professors surprised her by requiring additional expensive textbooks to be purchased after the semester had started, she wasn’t sure what to do.

“I’ve never asked for money,” Jazlynn said. “I’ve always either had enough saved up from working three jobs to cover additional costs or have taken out just enough loans to cover emergency expenses. This was the first time I didn’t have any money to make sure I had what I needed.”

Jazlynn proactively researched COVID relief funds through her school and community, but there was limited information on how and when to apply for it. Throughout this experience, she talked with her Bottom Line Advisor, who encouraged her to apply for emergency funding through Bottom Line.

She applied early, and Bottom Line was able to provide her with emergency funding that helped cover the cost of her textbooks, housing, and tuition.

Throughout college, Jazlynn has worked with her Bottom Line Advisor to talk through her course loads and apply to internships, but COVID-19 has brought them even closer together.

“[My Bottom Line Advisor] has been really helpful, even when I just needed to talk to someone,” said Jazlynn. “When COVID happened, it was more than just a professional relationship. I can talk to her about more than just school. I can talk about my plans. I can talk about what I need.”

Through all these challenges, Jazlynn has stayed motivated and has found ways to persist through school and end the semester in great academic standing.

“I’m the oldest of 14 siblings, and I care about them,” she said. “I want to be an inspiration to them and be a person they can look up to. They have been my motivation to do well in school.”

Jazlynn is on track to graduate in spring 2021, and she has already lined up an internship as a paralegal for next semester. After earning her BA, she eventually plans to attend law school so she can practice family law.