Lane DeGregory: He got the letter in July, at his mom’s house in Seminole. She never would have believed it.
Not after everything that had happened.
Dakota Rockwell, 20, had applied to the University of South Florida as a long shot, hoping — but never dreaming — he would be accepted.
Then the admissions office emailed. He could start in August, in the business school.
All summer, he sweated cleaning pools, painting condos, hacking vines off fences. He hauled boats at the marina, moved furniture at an auction house, caught ladyfish to sell at the flea market: $1 per pound. Working seven days a week, he saved $700.
He would need more than that just to buy books.
A $5,000 Pell Grant would cover about half of his expenses; a Rotary Club scholarship gave him another $750. But if he was going to take classes full-time, he would have to lose some of his jobs. Then he wouldn’t be able to pay his bills, or earn the extra $5,000 for tuition and fees.
After working so hard, after defying everyone’s expectations, Dakota decided he wouldn’t be able to afford a degree from USF.
He hung the acceptance letter on his wall.
And emailed the financial aid office, sharing his story, explaining why he couldn’t enroll.
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