For the entirety of my time at MSU, I have been paying out-of-state tuition and have received no financial support from family, which is my debt is so high. I am also different from the typical college undergrad in a few ways, the primary one being my age (26). I began my education at a community college, Manchester Community College in Manchester, CT. I received some financial help from my parents in paying my tuition there, but understood quickly that I would have to foot the bill for any education after receiving my A.A. myself. At 24 when I graduated M.C.C., I understood that I was above the age in which most undergrads received financial aid from their parents for school. However, paying for school was, as should be expected, not exactly easy for me. I had my sights set on Michigan State due its excellent teacher preparation program, its distance from New England (I'd always wanted to actually go "away" to school), and the fact that I had begun a relationship with a man who lived in Michigan and I wanted to see where that relationship could go. Although I had no intention of going back to Connecticut and quickly lost my residency in the state, due to the stringent nature of MSU's state classification, I was still considered a non-resident of Michigan for tuition purposes. Considering that I was supporting myself with various waitressing jobs which payed the rent and bills (with none left over for tuition), I quickly realized that I was going to amass a considerable debt, a debt similar to those of medical and law students. The only difference was that I was to pay off this debt, presumably, with the salary of a teacher, not one of a doctor or lawyer. Although I am engaged to be married to a Michigan resident, the man with whom I'd begun the relationship while still in Connecticut, on May 16th, 2009, I will not be eligible for in-state classification until that time. For the duration of the internship year, my new husband will be supporting both of us financially with his job as a transportation planner for the state of Michigan. I likely will not be working during the internship year, as is continually advised by administrators in the COE. While my fiance's job certainly does not make us destitute, he has debt of his own that we will be attempting to pay off in addition to my considerable student loan debt. Thus, we are anticipating the internship year to be one of some financial difficulty for us. Given these circumstances, scholarship aid of any kind and denomination would be greatly appreciated and put to good use.