Meet Stephon Fitzpatrick, an agriculture education executive navigating his own higher ed expenses

He didn’t make it, but he came very close.

At 33, Fitzpatrick has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and environmental science, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership. He’s still working on his doctorate.

“For me, it’s more so not only becoming the first doctor in my immediate family, but also it was a sign to myself that you can manifest anything,” he said.

He’s now the executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence.

Still, coming up with the money to pay for his education has been a challenge.

Fitzpatrick used to live in Maryland — he moved to Pennsylvania for his job — and started working on his doctorate in organizational leadership at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He’s been researching how predominantly white universities can retain Black students in agricultural programs.

As long as he lived in Maryland, eight credits a semester were covered by the state.

“If I can get funding to help not worry about [paying for school], I’m going to explore that option through and through.”Stephon Fitzpatrick

“Everything else, it was to come out of pocket,” he said. “And so with that, because I’m no longer in Maryland, I have to explore different funding opportunities so I can pay for that semester.”

University officials advised Fitzpatrick that part of his tuition would no longer be covered if he moved, but he couldn’t pass up the job here in Pennsylvania.

He has sought scholarships, but hasn’t found any for his area of study.

He really doesn’t want to take out a loan.

“You know, as someone who’s worked for a student loan servicer and understands how that is like, I don’t want to take out any more student loans,” he said.

And Fitzpatrick said that using his income to pay for school is doable, but burdensome.

“I’m still a full-time student. I work full time. I still have expenses, you know,” he said. “Yes, I make this money and I have this place that I call my own. But it’s just, like, if I can get funding to help not worry about that, I’m going to explore that option through and through.”

These Thriving audio stories feature reporting by Nichole Currie and audio production by Rowhome Productions.

This report is part of Thriving, a yearlong storytelling initiative from Technical.ly focused on the lived experiences of Philadelphia and comparative city residents. The goal is to generate insights about the economic opportunities and obstacles along their journeys to financial security. Here's who we're focusing on and why.