摩根·菲利安，24岁

我从没想过我会在易胜博app安卓下载这样的地方. 我一直都很在意钱, 和, 有一段时间, 教育不是你花钱买来的, 这只是给你的东西. I got excited when I first started applying for private schools because of the opportunities they offered me, but this didn’t last very long when I realized that the opportunities offered weren't really opportunities for me because no schools were willing to give me the financial aid that I needed. I knew when applying that this wasn’t a huge possibility for me, but it wasn’t a negative thing. I’ve always known how to enjoy myself without money being a factor. 成长的过程中, going out for anything that requires a paid ticket to get into, 比如动物园或水上乐园, 是一种享受. And I definitely have incredible memories from those experiences; but some of my best adventures took place in my backyard 和 local playgrounds. The very best adventures came from hiking with my Nana 和 her dog. We’d often go on hikes together on trails nearby, so she 和 I could spend extra time together. The first thing on the agenda when we arrived at a trail was to find the perfect walking stick. Both my nana 和 I would search the ground for a stick that was the perfect length 和 thickness to support us on the journey. 我奶奶会全程陪着她的奶奶, but my very excited little self would ditch it shortly after I found it because I was just too good for a stick. Along the way I’d collect rocks I thought were good enough for my collection 和 aggressively throw away the ones that didn’t make the cut. 

每次徒步旅行，我脑海中都有一个首选目的地:河流. 当我们靠近时，我总能听到它的声音, 在我小小的脑子里, 这些都是汹涌的急流, 当河流出现在眼前的时候, I started planning a route on the highway of rocks–otherwise known as stepping-stones–-that I could travel to get across the river to the other side. 我们越靠近河边，我就越兴奋. As soon as I got there, I started to use my carefully planned path. 它通常带我沿河而不是过河, 因为过河只会结束我的乐趣. 

I don’t really know what about the river 和 the rocks was so fun for me, but I can imagine that it was the challenge that came with it. The only thing that mattered to me during these adventures was not falling into the stream below, 和 I’m sure my nana can attest to the fact that I definitely did fall in more than once. Looking back, however, I can’t remember any moment when I did. I only remember the euphoria I felt on top of those rocks, looking down at the water below. 

18岁时, 我仍然喜欢在岩石顶上过河, 和 I stay on the lookout for rivers whenever I hike with my family. 这次简单的冒险使我所有的烦恼都烟消云散了. 当经历这样的时刻, I don’t have to worry about the money spent or the future expenses I might have. It’s simple, the kind of simple I need, the kind of simple I think that we all need. 

I’ve been lucky enough to experience the things at Groton because of the financial aid package I’m able to receive. Groton covers not only my tuition cost, but also the expenses of weekend activities. I’m eternally grateful for this because I’m able to participate in every aspect of the Groton life, yet I wonder sometimes if we all rely too heavily on using money to enjoy ourselves. On surprise holidays many of us pay for buses 和 spend even more in the array of shopping 和 activities throughout Boston. 在周末，钱花在有趣的游戏和食品卡车上. 别误会我, 我和你们一样喜欢好的餐车, 和 I also think there are many other great ways we can enjoy ourselves. 

Since coming here, I’ve been able to make friends with a variety of different economic backgrounds. It was a shock to me to see many people here spend money much easier than myself, 和 I separated myself because I thought my class would keep me too far behind. When I opened up, I saw I was able to connect 和 learn more about the ways I see money. 我确实会认真考虑我花钱买的东西, but I think it’s important to give yourself a gift every now 和 then without thinking about how much of an impact it’ll have on your bank account. 

有了这个，就有了平衡. I saw myself get caught up in spending to secure my own happiness, forgetting the childlike wonder in a walk through the woods. 当我陷入财务困境时, I ground myself in the moment 和 take a look around campus. With this campus, comes the faculty families that live here with us. 如果你了解我, 或者只是在附近见过我, 你一定见过我和一群教员的孩子在一起, 经常有人问我为什么要招待他们. 原因很简单，我爱孩子. 这是绝对正确的, but I also find comfort in knowing that they don’t care about how much money I have or where I come from, 无论如何，他们都喜欢我的公司. With them I’m able to enjoy things I did as a child, that don’t cost me anything. Sometimes it’s coloring a page in a coloring book 和 other times it’s a conversation about how little things work 和 everything in between. These things remind me of the ways I can enjoy myself without worrying about money or the thous和 other worries in my life. 

在易胜博app安卓下载, we’re all going to move into a world where we don’t have a financial aid package for life. For many people, meeting up with friends at a restaurant isn’t something that’s in the budget. Keep this in mind as you leave here today, 和 choose other ways to occupy your time. Take a walk through the woods 和 appreciate the nature we have around us, or spend extra time on the circle with friends until past dark. 冬天可以去滑雪橇，或者蜷缩起来看电影. Or maybe one day find your own highway of rocks 和 enjoy the challenge it takes to keep yourself from falling in 和 enjoy it when you do.