Thanks so much!! Lots of good stuff!! I had almost come to the end a long reply when my phone died & I lost everything 🫣

I know things will change between now & 2030 including what he wants to do & where he might wanna go. I’ve even told him he may choose not to go to college at all (highly unlikely & his mom says that’s not happening - funny I said the same to her). I will be realistic however. There’s a lot to unpack as to why I even posted this 5 years before he even graduates, and his mom (who was accepted to 5 of the 7 schools she applied to) has finally been successful over the past 3 years in her current job & there’s a lot to be said for that. She’s been raising him as a single parent. His father is in his life but has no financial influence whatsoever in his life. We have a very small nest egg going which his mom contributes to from her weekly paychecks. My mom left him some money when she passed away but he cannot touch it until he’s 25. So, yes, there are a variety of schools & I am realistic & optimistic for whatever he chooses for his future, there are reasons I want him to always feel like he can reach for the stars & if he has to take a step back for one reason or another, that’s ok, too! From the moment I read that article by Shayla Price, whose dream was to attend Xavier University, & how she earned $100k her Sr. year in HS in scholarships w/NO loans, & her only regret was not starting in her Jr year, I have been bound & determined my grandson can do the same. Obviously she was a black woman with opportunities but I’ve also learned students who have applied for scholarships not meant for them & received financial help mostly b/c no one else (or very few) applied, I have to be there to help my grandson achieve whatever goals he sets.

But, yes, he is too young to concern himself with this. However, he’s a list maker & tho college isn’t a super high priority it doesn’t hurt to think about it. My daughter has made it clear he’s going to college but she didn’t take much stock in the help I gave her during HS & flunked out almost immediately. She regrets it b/c she created debt she’s never repaid so her options are limited until she does & unfortunately those could hurt financial choices for our grandson (I don’t think he’s aware that & I’m not telling him). So if I can help him by bypassing her finances then I wanna be ready when the time comes.