Supporting Student Success Begins with Funding Student Essentials

In this article, Hannah Preston is a pseudonym for a student who wishes to remain anonymous.

At Montgomery College, the path to a degree does not always begin in the classroom. For many students, it starts with more difficult questions: How can I focus on college when I’m worried about rent, groceries, or where I’ll sleep tonight? 

Nationally, nearly 60% of college students experience some form of basic needs insecurity¹—struggling with food, housing, transportation, or access to technology. At community colleges, those challenges are often even more pronounced. 

“I don’t think people get it,” said Harry Zarin, a Germantown Campus counselor and professor, of the pervasive crisis of student need on the College’s campuses. “It’s huge. It’s big. And these are your average, everyday students.” 

In Montgomery County, where a single adult needs a living wage of about $29.28 per hour to meet basic needs, which increases to roughly $50 to $90 per hour for families with children², many students are not just supporting themselves, they are helping sustain their families. “We often see students who are trying to lift their families out of poverty, not just themselves,” said Vincent L. Briley, interim associate dean of student affairs at the Rockville Campus. 

For students, these challenges manifest themselves as impossible trade-offs: a long commute instead of a car, groceries instead of textbooks, or using an obsolete Chromebook instead of an up-to-date laptop. In 2024, the College’s Divisions of Student Affairs and Student Services created a Laptop Lending Program with funding from the U.S. Department of Education Basic Needs Grant/Social Resource Program. However, the need for technology basics is rising fast. Laptop requests jumped from 372 in 2024–2025 to 636 by fall 2025–2026—a 71% increase, while more than 100 students remain on a waitlist. 

Housing and food insecurity are just as urgent. “We get homeless students every semester,” Zarin said. Through partnerships like the Capital Area Food Bank, the College has distributed nearly 92 tons of food and pantry items this academic year at monthly mobile markets, feeding not just students, but their families. 

Help came at a critical moment for Joshua Albert Hayes ’25. When he arrived in Montgomery County, he was experiencing homelessness, studying in libraries and searching for a way forward. “I was just waiting for a break—and when I got one, I ran with it,” he said.  

At Montgomery College, he found that opportunity. He excelled academically, became Student Government Association president and a student member of the Montgomery College Foundation Board, and used his voice to advocate for other students. “Most people don’t take advantage of the resources—not because they don’t need them, but because they don’t know about them,” he said. Today, he is on a full scholarship at Loyola University Maryland. Someday, he wants to be a professor at Montgomery College. 

For Hannah Preston ’25, assistance made the difference between stopping out and graduating. When her family faced sudden financial hardship, her housing was put at risk. “I would have been stuck figuring out how to pay my bills,” she said. Through the emergency fund, now part of the Student Essentials Fund, she received immediate support. “Once I received the money, I could focus on my classes,” she said. “It lifted a huge burden off my shoulders.” Hannah graduated on time and is now pursuing a degree at the University of Maryland. 

The Student Essentials Fund exists for moments like these—when an unexpected expense can derail a student’s future. It provides assistance for housing, food, transportation, and technology so students can stay enrolled and focused. Sometimes, the solution is simple, but the impact is lasting. “An Uber gift card goes a long way,” Zarin said. 

Even with growing donations, demand continues to rise. Emergency grants help more than 150 students each year, yet many still face unmet needs. “Scholarships open the door to opportunity. The Student Essentials Fund provides flexible support so students can step through—and thrive,” said Bernadette Maldonado, vice president of development and alumni relations. 

For former students Joshua Albert Hayes and Hannah Preston, assistance led to opportunity. The Student Essentials Fund ensures that when the next student reaches that moment, there is a path forward. Because at Montgomery College, extraordinary does not begin with abundance. It begins with essentials. 

¹ According to a national survey by the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs.
² MIT Living Wage Calculator for Montgomery County, Maryland, 2026.