When it came to college tuition, Spencer Weiser knew his family would have a shortfall. His father, a management consultant, lost his job during the recession. Family medical bills had eaten significantly into savings. Spencer’s dad went looking for ways to help pay for his son’s education. Spencer was able to get a scholarship from Northwestern, as well as work/study and federal loans–but it wasn’t enough. Thankfully, JELF funded the rest.
Because of JELF, Spencer was able to be more involved in both his university and fraternity, and have time to do the important climate change research that he was passionate about. Since graduating with a double major in economics and environmental studies, Spencer has been working as a strategy consultant in an environmental practice. He plans on going back to school for a master’s degree and will apply to JELF for funding once again. As he put it, “Honestly, I can’t thank JELF enough.”
The average cost of college in the United States is $35K a year. This cost is only going to continue to grow.
31% of Jewish families have a household income of under $50K. The Jewish community is not immune to debt or hardship.
That's a problem! With student loan debt at an all time high, JELF is here to help!