My sophomore year of college was when I decided I needed to develop a solid plan for the career I wanted to pursue. I was majoring in health sciences because I loved learning about human biology, but I wanted to choose a specific profession that I could go into as soon as I graduated. After doing research into the programs that my college offered, medical imaging interested me the most. I loved the idea of being “the eyes of medicine” and providing clarity for patients during their times of vulnerability. I also liked how it was an accelerated bachelor’s program that would allow me to get certified in two imaging modalities in two years. Most traditional radiography programs are two years for an associate’s degree. I was accepted into the program in January 2026. I was very excited about this opportunity, but I knew that I needed to create a financial plan to get through the intensive two-year program. I did not have a college fund, and my parents would not be able to help me much, which initially worried me because I knew that paying for my education would be my responsibility. However, instead of allowing the cost to discourage me from pursuing my career, I decided to figure out exactly how much I would need and develop a plan to pay for it. My program’s tuition is $52,940 per year. Before receiving my official financial aid offer, I calculated an estimate of what I would need to pay. I expected to receive a total of $24,895 in grants and scholarships. After subtracting these awards from my tuition, I estimated that I would need $28,045 for one year. Assuming that my financial aid remains similar for my second year, my estimated tuition cost for the two-year program would be $56,090. I wanted to be as specific as possible with my financial goals, so I first made a plan for how I would pay for my first semester. The total for one semester is $14,022.50. After accepting the unsubsidized loan offered by my school, my goal was to save $11,272.50. I had already saved $4000 from working over the previous three years. Over the summer, I applied to 17 scholarships and won two awards: a $2,000 Career Village scholarship and a $2,500 Grow PA State Grant. I also worked throughout the summer and earned approximately $5,000. These efforts allowed me to pay for my Fall 2026 tuition. For my remaining three semesters, I plan to use student loans for tuition only, and I will continue working while completing my program so that I can pay for transportation, books, supplies, and other expenses myself. I will also continue applying for scholarships throughout the rest of my program because even smaller awards can reduce the amount I need to borrow. I also found the Clasp program, which connects healthcare students with employers that can help repay their student loans. This intrigued me because I know that having a large amount of student debt after graduation could make it more difficult to achieve financial freedom. My immediate goal is to successfully graduate with my bachelor’s degree. I plan on getting certified in radiography and computed tomography to gain experience in the imaging field for at least two years. My long-term goal is to continue my education by earning a master’s degree and becoming a Radiologist Assistant. I believe that with this plan and my determination towards my career, I will be able to achieve my goals.