the photo is a little small. remember to store your images in the largest format possible before uploading
Approximately 1 in 3 residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas fall below the poverty line. Alejandro Z. and Abigail J. ***if these people don’t want their last names published, you have to spell that out for readers why that is the case. You will have to share with me their last names and I will have to contact them to double check this unusual arrangement *** were one of the many residents in this statistic.
Abigail ***age, hometown*** waited tables at Grubs Uptown for most of college ***specify she attended University of Arkansas and describe her major***. It was easy to balance school and work, and she had to support herself after her parents stopped giving her the little they did. In 2015, Abigail met Alejandro, and they married in December of 2016. In the summer of 2017, Alejandro, an immigrant from Bolivia, lost his Education Visa, **not capitalized*** forcing him to lose his job.
For close to 6 **six** months, the married couple lived off of a servers salary alone. Being a server is inconsistent at best – especially at this location. Some nights, Abigail would leave with $350 in cash, and some nights she would leave with $19. ***great detail. This is an interesting story all around***
“I had to balance giving up things I love,” Abigail said.***good quote***
Beyond the financial instability that comes with being a server, there was emotional instability as well.
The majority of Abigail’s friends achieved five-figure jobs days after graduation, leaving her emotionally behind and feeling unaccomplished. Abigail did not get a job until almost a year and a half after graduation, much later, but much more realistic, than most recent graduates. ***I don’t understand this section***
For most college students and recent graduates, a job like serving is very common. The hourly wage for servers in Arkansas is lower than that in the United States as a whole. When this is the primary salary, that person immediately falls below the standard of living.
Good basic chart. I would add the wages for the Fayetteville region to this chart, too See: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_22220.htm
Luckily for Abigail, Alejandro had a job that brought in nearly $50,000 each year. But when his immigration paperwork failed to go through and he lost his education visa, Alejandro lost his job. ***repeats a little from the beginning. add some more details so it doesn’t sound the same***Abigail speaks on the immediate shock of the loss, and what they had done to prepare.
***This is a bonus. I didn’t require the undergrad version to produce audio, but glad to have it. I would edit this a bit and get your question out of the clip. Do a voice over introduction that more clearly sets up the context. Good job here though***
When the couple married in 2016, they knew that the deadline was coming soon to extend the work visa. They blame their predicament on how late the documents were submitted. They spent what money they had left to pay for an immigration lawyer and print documents. They spent hours making sure everything was accurate, and “printed, labeled, and put together”, Abigail said.
Seven months passed before any kind of court date, until late October ***2017???**. Alejandro gained his green card back, and went back to work almost immediately.
Abigail and Alejandro are not alone in their poverty status. In Washington County, AR, nearly 30% ***see AP style on these items*** of residents aged 18-34 remained under the poverty level. For multi-ethnicity households, that percentage is 29%. Abigail and Alejandro met both of these criteria.
***We can discuss whether Abigail should be classified as multiple race. She’s white, right? Alejandro would be Latino. So I would do those categories.***
During their time below the poverty line, Abigail and Alejandro were among the statistic of multiple ethnicity households that were in poverty. The struggles of being newlyweds and living under the poverty line bring on a set of struggles.
Not only are the struggles financial, but they are also emotional. Their relationship took a toll because of the many stressors that come with being unemployed and poor.
“That was the least close we had been,” Abigail said.
The security of having a job, a steady income, and financial stability are not only meaningful for young couples, but also necessary.
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