Houston YES Prep student gives up entire college savings to help her mom pay rent

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Houston teen is giving up her entire college savings to help pay for her mom’s rent and prevent her being evicted.

Alondra Carmona, a senior at Yes Prep East End, recently got accepted to Barnard College, a highly-rated Ivy League liberal arts college for women.

Carmona said her mom suffered an injury last year, which has impacted her ability to work. Now, the teen said she just discovered her mom hasn’t had a job in three months and is behind on rent. The mom, who is raising the girl alone, kept the news from the teen, according to Carmona.

“In February of 2020, my mom broke her ankle and was not able to work,” explained Carmona on a GoFundMe page she created to help her family. “Come March, the coronavirus started, which added to the financial problems we already had … She owes two months of rent and will most likely get evicted in March.”

Carmona said she’s using all of the money she saved for her college tuition to support her mom, a move that could potentially stifle her life-long dream.

“As much as I dream of going to Barnard College, it is not looking promising right now,” wrote Carmona. “I am turning to [GoFundMe] as a last resort, because Barnard will not be able to change my financial aid package.”

Carmona said she has wanted to attend Barnard College since she was 15 and said she was raised in a single-parent household, witnessing her mom work to pay rent. The teen said she completed a six-week research internship for cervical cancer at Rice University and hopes to pursue a career in science and research.

“All of the programs I attended were a product of my enthusiasm for learning more about medicine and science,” said Carmona.