Voces Video: Mayrin Anton

Profile

Mayrin is a 21-year old female of Dominican, Lebanese, and Spanish origin. She is a U.S. citizen and lives in New York City, New York. Mayrin is fully bilingual, but considers English her first language. Mayrin is single, lives with her mother and their family income is less than $40,000 a year. Mayrin describes herself as a homebody. She was raised by a single mom and both her mom and two older siblings went to college. Her mother earned a bachelor’s degree.

Mayrin went to private Catholic schools throughout her education and wanted to continue to do so in her collegiate career as well. She attended Fordham University (a private 4- year institution) as a full-time student, and received financial aid to help pay for college. She also worked part-time as a tutor and over the past several years worked at various offices on campus. She loved going to school and could not have imagined not attending college directly after high school. She is looking to attend law school right after graduation.

College choice
Mayrin wanted to stay home and support her mom and help out in the household, so she decided to choose among the colleges near where she lived. Fortunately, there were lots of college options to choose from in New York City. She commutes to school and has always loved staying at home. She lives in the Bronx, where her school, Fordham University, is located, and therefore has a very quick and convenient commute.

After deciding on location, she looked at programs in the nearby colleges that offered what she wanted to study. Mayrin’s mom and older siblings encouraged her to study abroad for a semester. Although she was hesitant, she went abroad, and appreciated the experience away from home.

Ultimately, it was important for her to feel at home at the campus she chose. When asked if she would have gone to another institution if cost had not been an issue, she said no. Mayrin loved her experience at Fordham University; for her it was a perfect fit.

College information
To find the right college for her, Mayrin did research online from sites like the College Board, got information from her guidance counselor, spoke with her mom’s friends, and visited the campuses she was interested in attending. She and her mom completed the entire college selection process together. Her mom is her best friend.

Paying for college
Mayrin comes from a single parent household. To help her mother with college costs, she worked to help pay for school and her own expenses. She received financial aid in the form of private scholarships, like the Hispanic College Fund, and institutional aid as well as some loans.