By Jonathan Reiss
Last Wednesday, February 1st, was pleasantly cool in Kissimmee as the sun set on Valencia College’s Osceola Campus. Around 5:45 p.m., suburban cars and sports utility vehicles parked, respectful of the line of reserved spots, before unleashing their diverse mix of drivers onto the quiet asphalt outside Building 1. A motley cohort was forming, and from the hours between 6 and 8 they reviewed headwinds and courses across a perilous sea of data before them, and by night’s end they were an enmeshed crew, agreed and motivated on a common purpose, plan, and project. Whether they were aware or not, these intrepid folk were joining a cause more than a decade old—though there were a few that bore the scars to prove it.
ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) represents a population living potentially one misfortune away from financial ruin. They lack assets like savings, owning a home or car, investments; their income is limited due to low wages/hours or medical or family complications; and they’re employed, often working 2 or 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet. These aren’t freeloaders taking advantage of some bureaucratic system through cunning, clever laziness; they’re hard workers living in Osceola County, Florida, of the United States of America. Be it a car that has decided it doesn’t want to start that day, or a family member with a health scare, or a busted air conditioning unit needing replacing in a southern summer, events like these can trigger endless spirals that families may never recover from.
Perhaps, you might think, the fact that other families are struggling is merely an inexorable part of society—an unfortunate byproduct—that demands the occasional intellectual sympathy. If that’s so, what number, what percentage of the larger population would you claim to be acceptable? 5%? 15%? Could a quarter of the population living day to day at the edge of a financial cliff be considered okay? How about a rough third, 30% or so?
52% of Osceola County families are considered ALICE by Heart of Florida United Way, and by their measure a single adult needs about $35,000 to survive (which happens to be the area’s median income according to CareerSource Central Florida). A family of two adults and two children needs to earn nearly $100,000 to thrive. An individual with a high school education earns on average $34K annually according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. With only 2 additional years of schooling and achieving an Associate’s Degree, that number more than doubles to $70K.
One might argue that college is expensive, and that not everybody might be able to make that kind of investment up front, especially someone who might get classified as “one misfortune away from financial ruin.” This is where FAFSA, and the Pell Grant, step in.
To some, the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, deserves simultaneous admiration and exasperation. It’s a long, complicated form filled with the kind of attention-grabbing legalese you’d find in Terms-of-Service agreements and tax-return filings. As a matter of fact, you’ll need those tax documents handy, too (specifically, from two years ago). Should one successfully complete this fun piece of work, they are more than likely to receive a quite handsome boon from the federal government, simply referred to as Pell, or the Pell Grant. The Pell Grant is free, mostly-no-strings-attached cash for the recipient, receiving up to $6,895 each semester. This will typically cover tuition, books, additional fees, and a few sandwiches, too. Now, if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also become eligible for thousands of scholarships—whose short forms will feel like a walk in the park compared to our (now) old friend, the FAFSA.
We begin to see then a fairly accessible path for financial stability not only in Osceola County, but everywhere in the U.S. It should also be noted that we aren’t just talking about your traditional university education; Federal student aid is available for not only 2- and 4-year colleges—it’s a lever that can also be pulled by those interested or partaking in some qualified high-skill certification programs, many of which are more easily available online and convenient for those who must work a job while pursuing their education. “College may not be for everyone,” they said, but “college,”—or an education after high school—is available for everyone who desires it. Those who believe otherwise must reside in bitter cynicism and/or lack certain necessary information.
Let’s return to the evening of February the first.
UpliftED held a convening focused on local education and business information data, inviting students, parents, counselors, educators, policymakers, industry and community leaders, to join in a collective endeavor to highlight growing opportunity in the job market of Osceola, identify solutions to workforce challenges, and work to implement those solutions so residents and the county can prosper. No small order. Thankfully, rather than the dull and dreary couple of hours the prior sentences might have suggested, it was a lively and engaging affair.
“Help ALICE in Wonderland Prosper: Pathways to Prosperity in Osceola” featured not only a delightful catering spread fit for a tea party, the devoted organizers of the event wore colorful top hats to demonstrate their madness. With data this stark, it’s hard not to go a little crazy. Driving this portion was power-couple educators Joe and Danielle Malfara, informed by data guru Ashton Terry. In fact, midway through this “tea party” folks were driven round and around the room discovering astonishing information covering everything from student matriculation to job growth over the past few years.
If guests were winded, they then were able to settle down to a “fireside” tea time chat between Carolyn McMorran of Valencia College and Dale A. Miller of Skywater Technology, moderated by CareerSource Central Florida’s Nilda Blanco. It was a charming conversation covering the growing industry of semiconductor chip manufacturing (“What aren’t they in?”) due to political movement over national security concerns, and the recent developments at Valencia College to meet the local education needs for that industry growth, including the new Valencia College Heart of Florida United Way Center for Accelerated Training featuring technical equipment to give students hands-on experience from real industry experts. It was a perfect representation of what partnership and cooperation can achieve when conversations are had, needs are shared, and commitments are made.
The real fire of the evening was emcee Anthony Cook, who professionally serves as Coordinator of College and Career Counseling for the School District of Osceola County. Tonight, he was moonlighting as the evening’s white rabbit, emceeing with a passion and vigor typical of the family Leporidae. He’s also one of the few who bear those aforementioned scars, working in the sphere of teaching, counseling, and community volunteering and organizing for more than a decade. As he brought the evening to a close, and with inspirations high, guests were encouraged to enlist in one of upliftED’s Impact Teams: small-focus groups working on a range of subjects like Scholarships & Financial Aid, College Readiness, Adult Learners, and Career Connections. This is where much of the work upliftED does is produced, often as free resources and events created for students to help them discover the world of career planning and higher education.
We believe that the clearest path from ALICE to affluent is through education after high school that leads to a high-paying job and career. For those who are more economically-minded, Florida will require 60% of its population to hold a high-quality degree or credential in order to meet workforce and industry demands in the next few years. The work upliftED does to address this information is vital, yet underpowered due to a lack of manpower and funds. No one does it like us, but perhaps—just perhaps—we’re all a bit mad here.
If you’d like to work to help ALICE families in Central Florida, or even just get the latest updates on what upliftED is doing in Central Florida, send us a message.
Acknowledgments and Great Thanks to:
Anthony Cook
Ashley Gastel
Ashton Terry
Carolyn McMorran
Dale A. Miller
Danielle Malfara
Joe Malfara
Nilda Blanco
We’d also like to thank:
Valencia College, CareerSource Central Florida, School District of Osceola County, Central Florida Education Ecosystem Database (CFEED), Heavenly Tasties, and upliftED’s backbone, Heart of Florida United Way