ATHENS Ga.—Christina Serra is like a lot of University of Georgia students. The HOPE Scholarship has paid for a huge part of her college expenses, but she still has to work to pay for her college education.
But Serra, now a UGA graduate student, is also different. A year away from graduating with a master’s of public administration degree, Serra has managed to avoid borrowing money, unlike most UGA students.
“I don’t have student loans, which is a blessing,” she said.
As a graduate student, she no longer receives the HOPE scholarship, which is why she’s working full-time this semester.
Avoiding borrowing hasn’t always been easy, but Serra considers herself lucky.
For one thing, during her undergraduate years at UGA, she kept her grades up and received a full HOPE Scholarship all through school, which meant the state paid her full tuition costs.
“The HOPE Scholarship is why I have no loans,” she said.
