A monumental victory towards the opportunity of furthering education.

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Quite often than we think, graduating high school seniors are unable to continue their education and go to college due to lack of financial support. Some even make it to college but then drop out due to the financial strain that it puts on themselves and their families. Well, fortunately Governor Cuomo took a huge step today in making financial burdens a little easier for students.

Governor Cuomo signed the “Excelsior Scholarship” bill earlier today in Long Island City. The Excelsior Scholarship will give young New Yorkers the opportunity to go to SUNY or CUNY schools without paying for tuition. The passing of this bill has made New York State the first in the country to offer free in-state college tuition.

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"No child will be denied college because they can't afford it. And the dream of opportunity is for everyone," said Gov. Cuomo. He added that three-quarters of families with college-age students in the Capital Region are eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship. Hillary Clinton, who also attended the signing of the bill at LaGuardia Community College, supports this bill seeing it as a progressive victory and hoping the free college tuition plan will lead other states to follow suit.

The scholarship will cover tuition at state universities for in-state students whose families earn $125,000 or less. Students who choose to accept the plan must agree to remain in the state of New York after graduating college for the same amount of years that they received free tuition. If by chance they move out of the state and take a job elsewhere before that amount of time has passed, they will be required to pay back the money. This agreement will not only benefit students but it will possibly aid in bringing more companies and their jobs to New York according to Clinton. "I hope it will also send a message to employers that they want to start making plans to come to New York, because New York will provide exactly the kind of workforce that the governor has promised," she said.

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