WEBVTT 00:00:03.690 --> 00:00:06.669 Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host, 00:00:06.710 --> 00:00:09.810 Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my team and I produce 00:00:09.810 --> 00:00:12.650 content that's informative, positive, fun, and 00:00:12.650 --> 00:00:15.310 uplifting. This podcast is created and produced 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:17.210 with the help of students from the International 00:00:17.210 --> 00:00:20.550 Community School of Bangkok. Hey everyone, and 00:00:20.550 --> 00:00:23.350 welcome back to the show. We have a very informative 00:00:23.350 --> 00:00:26.649 and loaded first segment for this episode. We'll 00:00:26.649 --> 00:00:28.929 be talking about the financial aid process for 00:00:28.929 --> 00:00:32.049 attending and affording college. We have several 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:34.409 guest students and a parent of one of the students 00:00:34.409 --> 00:00:37.570 talk about their process and their journey. Then 00:00:37.570 --> 00:00:39.729 for segment two, we'll continue with our adventure 00:00:39.729 --> 00:00:43.130 story, Legends of the Yucatan Part 7 of a 10 00:00:43.130 --> 00:00:46.210 -part story. But first, let's kick things off 00:00:46.210 --> 00:00:48.109 with our quote of the day and hear some headline 00:00:48.109 --> 00:00:51.649 news. Our quote of the day comes from Che Spivey, 00:00:51.729 --> 00:00:55.429 an American author, a scholarship coach, and 00:00:55.429 --> 00:00:59.439 a social worker. She's quoted to have said, education 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:02.240 changes lives and scholarships makes it affordable. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:04.980 The court highlights the transformative power 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:08.260 of education and the critical role of scholarships 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:11.939 that plays in making it accessible. By acknowledging 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:14.359 that education can be a life -changing force, 00:01:14.620 --> 00:01:17.480 the court emphasises the importance of financial 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.019 aid in bridging the gap between potential and 00:01:20.019 --> 00:01:22.560 achievement. Scholarships are framed not just 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.200 as financial tools, but as enablers. that opens 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:29.040 doors for individuals who may otherwise be excluded 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.519 due to economic barriers. The simplicity and 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:35.359 positivity of the quote reinforce its message, 00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:38.939 serving as both motivation for students seeking 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:41.560 aid and recognition of the essential support 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:44.200 that scholarships provide. And that's our quote 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:46.859 of the day. Now onto some headline news with 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:50.099 Mia. Thank you for our quote of the day, Frank. 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:52.379 For today's headline news, here are some big 00:01:52.379 --> 00:01:54.439 scholarship opportunities in top universities 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:58.140 in the US, Thailand, and the UK. To start off, 00:01:58.140 --> 00:02:01.459 we have Harvard. Starting in the 2025 to 2026 00:02:01.459 --> 00:02:04.120 academic year, Harvard will offer free tuition 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:06.319 to undergraduate students from families earning 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:10.180 $200 ,000 or less annually. Additionally, students 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:13.539 from families making $100 ,000 or less will have 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:16.159 all billed expenses covered. That includes tuition, 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:19.530 housing, meals, health insurance, and travel 00:02:19.530 --> 00:02:22.250 costs. This initiative aims to make Harvard more 00:02:22.250 --> 00:02:25.250 accessible to a broader range of students. Next 00:02:25.250 --> 00:02:27.789 off, Thulalongkorn University in the heart of 00:02:27.789 --> 00:02:30.189 Bangkok is offering fully funded scholarships 00:02:30.189 --> 00:02:32.550 for international students to pursue master's 00:02:32.550 --> 00:02:36.370 and PhD degrees in various disciplines. The scholarships 00:02:36.370 --> 00:02:39.330 cover tuition fees, living expenses, and other 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:42.129 academic costs. The application deadline is May 00:02:42.129 --> 00:02:45.770 8, 2025, so hurry up if you're interested. Finally, 00:02:45.969 --> 00:02:48.520 the University of of Westminster, in collaboration 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:52.300 with the UK government's GREAT or Great Britain 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.740 Campaign and the British Council, is offering 00:02:54.740 --> 00:02:58.500 a £10 ,000 scholarship towards tuition fees for 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:01.280 a one -year master's program starting in September 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:04.400 2025. This scholarship is specifically available 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.900 to students from Thailand. The application deadline 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:10.379 is June 23, 2025. And that ends our headline 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:22.699 news for this episode. Thank you for the quote 00:03:22.699 --> 00:03:25.000 and headline news. In this first segment, we'll 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.580 be talking about how to pay for college. This 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:30.560 is a big issue for parents and students. And 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:33.659 let's face it, it's expensive. Financial aid 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:36.539 process for attending and affording college is 00:03:36.539 --> 00:03:39.560 a big deal. We'll have one of our very own podcast 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:42.180 team members, Premi, and her father on for this 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:44.960 segment to discuss their journey and give an 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:48.419 overview and advice on how to afford a college 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:51.669 education in the United States. We'll also hear 00:03:51.669 --> 00:03:53.810 briefly from a few other students about their 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:56.370 experience with colleges outside the United States 00:03:56.370 --> 00:03:59.189 and what their journey looked like. Okay, Premi, 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:01.189 go ahead and get us started with this first segment. 00:04:01.729 --> 00:04:06.210 Thank you so much. I'm Premi, and I've been on 00:04:06.210 --> 00:04:09.030 the team for the past two seasons, the first 00:04:09.030 --> 00:04:12.509 season or season two. I was a co -host and a 00:04:12.509 --> 00:04:14.849 writer, and on this season, I am the production 00:04:14.849 --> 00:04:17.120 team leader. And I'm so excited to be talking 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:20.319 about this today. And just speaking on the podcast, 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:22.519 she was like, oh, it is nostalgic and I love 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:26.300 it. And in terms of university, I have always 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.139 wanted to pursue an English major as well as 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:31.800 like maybe like an ethics, politics, economics, 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.680 or also a woman's gender sexuality is minor. 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:39.000 In terms of looking ahead for university, I've 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:41.040 always wanted to study in the United States. 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:44.720 And so a lot of my target universities was just 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.040 looking into a liberal arts college that could 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:50.160 offer this interdisciplinary like area and study 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.100 and also like a more smaller focused liberal 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:55.879 arts college that I feel like I would fit in 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:59.680 the culture and also just everything else. And 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:04.079 in terms of affording college. Personally, I 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.920 do have a more complicated financial situation, 00:05:07.019 --> 00:05:10.980 which we will definitely get into. And I will 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:14.079 be sharing everything that I've learned over 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.699 the past two years. And today, I have my dad 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:20.500 joining us. And if you can introduce yourself 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:24.519 really quickly, dad. Sure. My name is Paul, premier's 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:27.649 dad. Yes, the decision of attending and affording 00:05:27.649 --> 00:05:30.149 college for students is very much a decision 00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:32.829 that is often helpful. When you share with the 00:05:32.829 --> 00:05:36.449 support system family, it is important to gather 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:39.389 all financial components of the college application 00:05:39.389 --> 00:05:43.990 process as well. We need both personal financial 00:05:43.990 --> 00:05:47.410 data and your company data if you own your business. 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:52.439 Thank you, Dad. And I think just a quick breakdown 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:55.160 for like mind map. And this is specifically for 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:57.779 affording colleges in the U .S. And just like 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:01.339 as a brief like just disclaimer. I think this 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:03.519 process is going to look different for everyone 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:06.300 depending on so many different factors such as 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:08.899 citizenship, financial need, strength of profile, 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:11.399 and like family circumstances and complexities. 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:14.000 So to start off with, like this is the breakdown 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:16.740 mind map that I'll go to. First of all, the question 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:20.060 is, do you need financial aid? Are you able, 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:21.980 as your family, do you have means to support? 00:06:22.649 --> 00:06:26.009 $400 ,000, almost approximately $400 ,000 for 00:06:26.009 --> 00:06:28.110 a private institution in the U .S. for a bachelor's 00:06:28.110 --> 00:06:30.350 degree. If the answer is no, you don't need that, 00:06:30.430 --> 00:06:33.350 then you're good to go. And what you would have 00:06:33.350 --> 00:06:35.389 to do is apply and get in, and you'd be able 00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:38.449 to go. For those folks that do need financial 00:06:38.449 --> 00:06:41.110 support, the first question is if you are a United 00:06:41.110 --> 00:06:44.910 States citizen or eligible permanent resident. 00:06:45.250 --> 00:06:48.050 If you are, then make sure you apply to federal 00:06:48.050 --> 00:06:52.850 aid and institutional aid. this next question 00:06:52.850 --> 00:06:55.829 of yes if you are a citizen for the next question 00:06:55.829 --> 00:06:58.509 is if you believe that you feel that you have 00:06:58.509 --> 00:07:01.550 a strong enough applicant profile if you do then 00:07:01.550 --> 00:07:06.350 go for top 20s go for ivy league ivy league universities 00:07:06.350 --> 00:07:09.149 because those universities will meet your 100 00:07:09.149 --> 00:07:11.930 demonstrated need -based aid and it would be 00:07:11.930 --> 00:07:14.269 great for you to apply to a lot of the merit 00:07:14.269 --> 00:07:17.709 scholarships offered at t20s out as well and 00:07:17.709 --> 00:07:21.720 the next question after that is if you won Needed 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:23.860 financial aid 2. You are a citizen or eligible 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:26.779 permanent resident. three have a great or strong 00:07:26.779 --> 00:07:29.500 enough applicant portfolio and the last question 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:33.879 is if you have you know the typical family circumstances 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:36.680 if you do then you will meet 100 % demonstrated 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:39.680 need but if you do not and that is where my personal 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:43.779 situation falls into then your situation would 00:07:43.779 --> 00:07:46.339 be either the merit scholarships that you may 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:49.319 have received or maybe taking out loans or financing 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.279 your college education in other ways and then 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.279 outside of that if you do not For U .S. citizens, 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:58.199 if you do not have a strong portfolio, I would 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:01.800 recommend to find colleges, local colleges or 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:04.019 state colleges, community colleges, as well as 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:07.480 just taking advantage of any in -state privileges 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:09.660 or benefits that you may have in getting in, 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:12.000 as well as affording it. And for international 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.560 students, if you do have a great... portfolio 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.180 then I would recommend doing the same for because 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:20.199 some very specific very few universities and 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.319 colleges but some would take 100 % demonstrating 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.180 need for both international and domestic students 00:08:26.180 --> 00:08:28.160 so look out for those and look out for MERT scholarships 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.079 as well and the last thing I'll say for international 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:33.120 students is also make sure that you explore all 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:36.279 other options in Asia and in Europe in Canada 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:38.840 Australia I know that the U .S. is not your only 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:43.029 location for college in a college education Yes, 00:08:43.110 --> 00:08:46.470 as we are the parent, if you come from Thai family, 00:08:46.669 --> 00:08:50.990 you can provide data from revenue department 00:08:50.990 --> 00:08:53.389 from Thai like Phong or Do Kao Soon like this. 00:08:53.490 --> 00:08:56.590 You can translate in English. That's acceptable. 00:08:57.049 --> 00:09:00.690 And moreover, you can prepare like a financial 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:04.070 data from your bank or your bank statement to 00:09:04.070 --> 00:09:07.850 support your financial to prove that your kids 00:09:07.850 --> 00:09:12.740 need a fund. thank you so much and one quick 00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:15.279 note before we get started i know i gave that 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.340 brief overview but To make sure that a lot of 00:09:18.340 --> 00:09:20.759 this will be understood and understood easily, 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:23.419 I do want to say that the other part is going 00:09:23.419 --> 00:09:25.299 to be equality. As I mentioned before, the different 00:09:25.299 --> 00:09:27.240 factors, right? Some people don't need financial 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:30.080 aid. Some students are U .S. citizens. Some students 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:32.200 have residency. Some students are first generation 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:34.899 and low income. And there's also so many different 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:37.759 indirect factors like race or ethnicity or passport 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:42.000 that might make the process easier or more difficult 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:44.799 for some. I think the bottom line through all 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:48.039 of it is just to know that it is hard and it 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:50.179 is hard to compare when other students you feel 00:09:50.179 --> 00:09:51.980 might have it easier than you in the college 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:54.799 apps process. But just persevere and everything 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:58.299 will turn out OK in the end. And also the other 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:00.700 note is I try to be as comprehensive as possible 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:04.600 as a team in this episode to cover as many things 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:08.269 as we can that would be helpful. I would apologize 00:10:08.269 --> 00:10:11.029 beforehand for missing any other possible avenues 00:10:11.029 --> 00:10:12.889 for a foreign college or not being considerate 00:10:12.889 --> 00:10:15.169 of other factors or circumstances that aren't 00:10:15.169 --> 00:10:16.690 personal to me. I think throughout this episode, 00:10:16.809 --> 00:10:19.730 you'll see that a lot of a lot of this is or 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:22.590 we talk about like situations for divorced families 00:10:22.590 --> 00:10:24.889 a lot. And that is because it is a factor that's 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:26.330 personal to me. So it's something that I always 00:10:26.330 --> 00:10:28.090 have to keep into account. But for different 00:10:28.090 --> 00:10:30.909 factors that I might not have had to, I would 00:10:30.909 --> 00:10:33.330 apologize beforehand for not having been able 00:10:33.330 --> 00:10:38.529 to do that. That said. we can start with a more 00:10:38.529 --> 00:10:41.009 detailed breakdown of all the different ways 00:10:41.009 --> 00:10:43.929 that you can, depending on so many factors that 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:45.750 you can do to finance your college education. 00:10:46.330 --> 00:10:48.529 Mr. Jason, could you tell our listeners about 00:10:48.529 --> 00:10:52.889 institutional scholarships? Sure. The first type 00:10:52.889 --> 00:10:56.070 is institutional scholarships, like Premi said. 00:10:56.409 --> 00:10:59.169 These are scholarships or grants that colleges 00:10:59.169 --> 00:11:02.090 and universities offer themselves, and they're 00:11:02.090 --> 00:11:05.129 usually based on either financial need, or academic 00:11:05.129 --> 00:11:08.870 merit. In most cases, institutional aid is where 00:11:08.870 --> 00:11:11.029 you're going to get the biggest chunk of help 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:13.769 when it comes to paying for college. And then 00:11:13.769 --> 00:11:17.009 the next type is called needs -based institutional 00:11:17.009 --> 00:11:20.350 scholarships. This means that the aid you receive 00:11:20.350 --> 00:11:23.210 directly from the university is based on factors 00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:26.590 such as parents' income, parents' assets like 00:11:26.590 --> 00:11:29.809 cash, savings, home equity, real estate, and 00:11:29.809 --> 00:11:32.720 investments. family size, number of children 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:35.139 attending college, students' expected income 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:38.480 from summer and term time jobs, and students' 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:41.299 assets and more. So there's a lot of different 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:44.279 variety of things that go into this needs -based 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:48.340 institutional scholarships, which means you've 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:50.019 got to do a lot of homework before you apply 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:53.539 for these. Thank you, Mr. Jason. That's right. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:56.340 For the majority of universities in the U .S., 00:11:57.049 --> 00:12:00.370 Most don't have capacity to offer 100 % need. 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:03.690 Instead, many universities offer a mix of the 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:07.389 need -based aid and merit -based aid, with amount 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:10.669 varying depending on applicant profile, citizenship 00:12:10.669 --> 00:12:14.509 status. For the most prestigious and secure university, 00:12:14.889 --> 00:12:17.190 instead, in order to ensure your students are 00:12:17.190 --> 00:12:20.750 able to attend if accepted, offer what is called 00:12:20.750 --> 00:12:25.110 100 % need. In our case, for Duke or Yale. They 00:12:25.110 --> 00:12:28.909 only provide us financial needs, right? Some 00:12:28.909 --> 00:12:34.370 universities, they consider only my data because 00:12:34.370 --> 00:12:37.629 I'm a custodian parent, but some universities 00:12:37.629 --> 00:12:41.450 need both custodian parents and non -custodian 00:12:41.450 --> 00:12:45.049 needs. Like a primary mother, she works in the 00:12:45.049 --> 00:12:48.830 U .S., so we need to send them form 1065, form 00:12:48.830 --> 00:12:55.509 1012 for K2W2 also. Here's how it works. Call 00:12:55.509 --> 00:12:58.309 and look at your total cost of attendance or 00:12:58.309 --> 00:13:02.210 COA. That's tuition, room, book, boards, anything 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:06.090 else. Substract what they think your family can 00:13:06.090 --> 00:13:11.529 reasonably contribute. They call EFC. And whatsoever 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:15.549 left is your demonstrated need. They will cover 00:13:15.549 --> 00:13:19.370 100 % of that need. That's formula COA minus 00:13:19.370 --> 00:13:23.460 EFC equals your aid. It's often a mad breakdown. 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:28.539 Example, if you COA is 100K, right? But if you 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:34.419 prove that your family EFC only 50K, so they 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:38.980 provide support you only 50K, right? In our case, 00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:43.220 some colleagues do not support on the basis the 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:46.000 revenue because our premier mother, she work 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:49.240 in the US, right? Because she got a personal 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:53.000 revenue and her. company revenue also yeah thank 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.659 you thank you dad and yes and thank you mr jason 00:13:56.659 --> 00:14:00.120 that is essentially how um institutional scholarships 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:03.159 um especially in particularly need -based institutional 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:06.179 scholarships work and to dive into that in order 00:14:06.179 --> 00:14:09.539 to qualify for this institutional um institutional 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:12.399 based institution no need -based institutional 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:14.799 scholarships you would have to fill out the css 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.340 profile which is also stands for the college 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:19.909 um college scholarship service profits profile 00:14:19.909 --> 00:14:22.970 and this is this application is through college 00:14:22.970 --> 00:14:24.769 board and i think most students will be already 00:14:24.769 --> 00:14:26.889 familiar with college board through registering 00:14:26.889 --> 00:14:30.570 for the sat the ap exams and more and this css 00:14:30.570 --> 00:14:34.889 profile is over 200 questions and i can say that 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:37.850 like my father and i like we sat down for like 00:14:37.850 --> 00:14:40.370 several several sundays to like make sure that 00:14:40.370 --> 00:14:43.139 everything is filled out And again, as mentioned, 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:45.279 it takes parents' income, parents' assets like 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:47.639 cash, savings, home equity, family size, number 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:50.779 of children, students' expected income, assets, 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:54.279 and more. And also I think siblings, I remember 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:57.039 like one particular section was particularly 00:14:57.039 --> 00:14:59.740 comprehensive because I have four younger siblings 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:02.379 and we had to list out all their names, all their 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:05.340 ages, all their education. And for each sibling, 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:07.970 we had to list out their... previous or like 00:15:07.970 --> 00:15:10.509 last year's tuition and all expenses current 00:15:10.509 --> 00:15:13.710 year tuition and all expenses and future current 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:17.629 future tuition and expenses for like five different 00:15:17.629 --> 00:15:20.070 times for all of us so that was particularly 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:25.350 like labor intensive but and essentially the 00:15:25.350 --> 00:15:27.669 css profile is an online application used by 00:15:27.669 --> 00:15:30.429 colleges scholarship programs toward non -federal 00:15:30.429 --> 00:15:34.759 institutional aid and For international students, 00:15:35.220 --> 00:15:37.659 the CSS profile automatically converts Thai baht 00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:40.240 to U .S. dollars. Yes, that is maybe an add -on. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.480 Because Thai baht and dollars fluctuate, they 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.879 don't fit the exchange rate. So we don't know 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:49.399 yet how many Thai baht we could convert to the 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:52.720 tuition in dollars. That's one thing. Yeah, that 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.539 was one thing. I think when we did it, we just 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:58.019 chose a standard unit of conversion. We stuck 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:00.179 with that, even though it did fluctuate. I think 00:16:00.179 --> 00:16:02.539 for international, or like... parents making 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:05.480 income from internationally to afford to afford 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:07.700 a college education in the u .s it's also important 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:09.580 to remember like the purchasing power will be 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:11.379 definitely different and sometimes it is taken 00:16:11.379 --> 00:16:13.820 into account and sometimes it is not and a note 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:16.320 on divorced or separated parents you would have 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:19.240 to make a separate profile for your non -custodial 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:21.759 parent and by that that means you need to create 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:25.419 a whole other college board account and that 00:16:25.419 --> 00:16:28.220 that process was a bit confusing to me so like 00:16:28.220 --> 00:16:29.620 to put it out there that is what you need to 00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:34.850 do and the other thing is the css profile For 00:16:34.850 --> 00:16:37.309 non -custodial parent fee waivers, and this is 00:16:37.309 --> 00:16:39.730 for maybe divorced or separated parents, but 00:16:39.730 --> 00:16:42.509 you do not have contact, or there are certain 00:16:42.509 --> 00:16:44.389 factors, like you don't have contact, or you 00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:46.009 have never received any support from your non 00:16:46.009 --> 00:16:48.669 -custodial parent, or there have been legal orders 00:16:48.669 --> 00:16:51.850 that restrict you from contacting your non -custodial 00:16:51.850 --> 00:16:54.690 parent, or the other way around, or abuse situations 00:16:54.690 --> 00:16:56.570 involving you and the non -custodial parent. 00:16:56.769 --> 00:16:59.090 And in that case, supporting documents would 00:16:59.090 --> 00:17:01.409 be helpful. For instance, court documents, legal 00:17:01.409 --> 00:17:03.710 orders, if acceptable, as well as third parties. 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:06.660 documentation like a written statement or a letter 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:09.180 from counselor social worker teacher or clergy 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:12.160 who has firsthand knowledge about and can certify 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:14.519 your situation that is particularly important 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:18.180 for divorced families with like a non -custodial 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:20.480 parent that might be out of the picture and the 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:23.720 other the the other factor i will say is willingness 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.200 to pay or refusing to complete the CSS profile, 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:30.799 or a divorce decree. These factors are more subjective 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:33.839 and will be up to the institution. But willingness 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.140 to pay, I can say, will mostly not be accepted. 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.680 And in situations like this, for instance, your 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.500 parents have set out a budget for 20k a year 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:44.500 for your college education. But in reality, their 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:46.799 numbers, their tax forms, their W -2s show that 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:49.539 they can pay more than that. And that willingness 00:17:49.539 --> 00:17:52.240 to pay as a factor will not be accepted. And 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.519 ultimately, each institution would make its own 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:56.900 decision in regards to the non -custodial parent 00:17:56.900 --> 00:17:59.559 fee waiver and would reach out if more information 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:01.880 is required and the submission of the waiver 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:04.900 does not guarantee if it will be accepted and 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:08.160 i think just like a quick little part that i 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:10.880 find ironic sometimes is that to in order to 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:14.950 apply and qualify for institutional you would 00:18:14.950 --> 00:18:17.950 need to pay for this application and it is 25 00:18:17.950 --> 00:18:22.349 as of current 2025 it is $25 for the initial 00:18:22.349 --> 00:18:26.630 initial application and it is $16 for each college 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:29.470 profile you send up to them And additionally, 00:18:29.609 --> 00:18:32.950 for that non -custodial separate CSS profile, 00:18:33.130 --> 00:18:37.470 it is $25 as well. And when it adds up, if you 00:18:37.470 --> 00:18:39.710 apply to Twin Colleges, it adds up really quickly 00:18:39.710 --> 00:18:44.390 in addition to the application fee itself. And 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:48.230 to also put it out there, there are certain fee 00:18:48.230 --> 00:18:51.670 waivers available for both parts. So if you might 00:18:51.670 --> 00:18:53.730 qualify, make sure you reach out and make sure 00:18:53.730 --> 00:18:57.619 that you would receive that aid. All right. That 00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:00.319 is a great explanation. And there's a lot of 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:04.539 great detail in there. And Premi is the first 00:19:04.539 --> 00:19:07.019 one in her family that's going through this process. 00:19:07.099 --> 00:19:10.819 She has four younger siblings. And so she's kind 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:13.920 of blazing the trail for their family. So, I 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:16.799 mean, this is so many details if you want to 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:20.200 go to a college in the United States and you're 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.539 looking for financial aid. So you can always 00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:26.099 reach out to someone who's gone before you. So 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:27.920 Premi's kind of blazing the trail in her family 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:29.980 and they're figuring this out. But there's lots 00:19:29.980 --> 00:19:32.299 of information that needs to be gathered. So 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:35.799 let me jump ahead on this idea of CSS. So once 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:38.400 you fill out the CSS, which stands for the College 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:41.720 Scholarship Service, you might also be asked 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:43.720 to submit supporting documents through something 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:47.420 called the IDOC. And that's short for Institutional 00:19:47.420 --> 00:19:51.000 Documentation Service. Some colleges participate 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:54.940 in IDOC or IDOC, while others have their own 00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:59.480 portals where you'll upload tax returns, W -2s, 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:02.359 or other paperwork. Just be aware it takes about 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:05.779 three to five business days for IDOC to process 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:08.900 things after you get a code from the college 00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:11.980 board, which can take up to a day. Remember, 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.460 there's a lot of details in here. So bottom line, 00:20:15.579 --> 00:20:18.440 don't procrastinate. Missing deadlines can delay 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:21.500 your aid or reduce how much you're offered. Always 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:24.319 double check your college's financial aid checklist 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:27.680 and make sure you've submitted everything. The 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:31.940 other kind of caveat to this is these things 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:35.079 could change year after year. So just make sure 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:37.559 you're checking up on all those details and the 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.849 deadlines as well. Thank you, Mr. Jackson. And 00:20:40.849 --> 00:20:43.049 if you are a high -achievement student from a 00:20:43.049 --> 00:20:45.990 low -income background, there is another awesome 00:20:45.990 --> 00:20:48.670 opportunity that you look into, like QuestBridge. 00:20:48.890 --> 00:20:51.329 This is an incredible non -profit that provides 00:20:51.329 --> 00:20:55.829 with a partner with 55 colleges, including Life 00:20:55.829 --> 00:21:00.750 Safety, Liberal Arts School, two other full -rate 00:21:00.750 --> 00:21:04.349 house food fees and more. Some colleges even 00:21:04.349 --> 00:21:08.559 account for your insurance and also Some programs 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:11.259 like National College are matched. A student 00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:14.339 can earn admission and a full four -year scholarship 00:21:14.339 --> 00:21:18.160 with zero parental contribution and no student 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:21.779 loan also. Yeah. And no loan, they are college 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:24.099 prep also, right? They're fortunate. They can 00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:27.680 help you prep early, even connect you with summer 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:30.910 program also, mentoring and more. Yes, that's 00:21:30.910 --> 00:21:32.769 right. And I think this goes to show that like 00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:36.029 it is especially and I would say especially if 00:21:36.029 --> 00:21:38.670 you're applying with financial aid or for financial 00:21:38.670 --> 00:21:41.109 aid, there are so many opportunities out there 00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:43.890 and some of them start as early as your junior 00:21:43.890 --> 00:21:46.730 year. So make sure you reach out, make sure you 00:21:46.730 --> 00:21:49.109 don't miss out on any of these cool opportunities 00:21:49.109 --> 00:21:52.230 and resources. And QuestBridge in particular 00:21:52.230 --> 00:21:55.069 that you mentioned is need based and merit based 00:21:55.069 --> 00:21:57.650 to have a super strong applicant profile and 00:21:57.650 --> 00:22:00.240 you also qualify for that. need -based and it 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.980 is wonderful it is such a wonderful program and 00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:04.799 if you qualify definitely look into it it is 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:08.640 a game changer and to talk to move on from this 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:11.440 the merit to from the need -based component to 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.119 more merit -based full rides as i mentioned especially 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:18.799 at top 20s in the united states so for u .s citizens 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:21.140 and internationals as a whole there are many 00:22:21.140 --> 00:22:23.839 colleges that offer full ride or full tuition 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:26.259 and to name some just to throw them out there 00:22:26.259 --> 00:22:28.019 so you can start doing your research and just 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:31.430 to know that there are a vast array of possibilities 00:22:31.430 --> 00:22:34.930 washu has the has three signature scholarships 00:22:34.930 --> 00:22:37.690 rodriguez danforth irvine they're all full tuition 00:22:37.690 --> 00:22:40.809 scholarships emory is full ride scholarship uh 00:22:40.809 --> 00:22:44.009 woodruff's program and even if you don't if you're 00:22:44.009 --> 00:22:46.859 a finalist and you don't get or you don't get 00:22:46.859 --> 00:22:48.880 the full ride scholarship they still offer like 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:51.160 the liberal arts college scholarships and more 00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:54.519 and the unc morehead cane is a full ride and 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:57.779 plus for like fully paid summers and more and 00:22:57.779 --> 00:23:00.779 that is similar to the uva uva's jefferson's 00:23:00.779 --> 00:23:04.160 program as well as well as duke's but duke is 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:07.559 a specific um outside outside scholarship um 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:09.839 called the robertson and is joint with unc and 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:13.740 unc chapel and duke vanderbilt has three full 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:16.299 tuition scholarships as well cornelius chancellors 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:19.079 and the ingram scholarship rice university has 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:22.220 one boston university has a full full tuition 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:24.480 trustee scholarship and a half tuition presidential 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:27.779 scholarship boston college and so many more and 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:29.740 i would definitely recommend if you are in a 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:32.640 position to be eligible for such or need such 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:35.700 to search up comprehensive lists on the internet 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:38.720 and there are spreadsheets of all different colleges 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.420 offering full rides and full scholarships. And 00:23:41.420 --> 00:23:43.859 I would also, I think a little note is also to 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:45.440 be able to differentiate between scholarship 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:47.880 only and scholarship programming. The scholarship 00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:50.519 only is similar to a full ride or full tuition 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:54.440 where all that the scholarship entails is just 00:23:54.440 --> 00:23:58.279 a minus 100k or whatever amount it is on your 00:23:58.279 --> 00:24:00.059 cost of attendance that will be deducted from 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:03.000 you. Whereas scholarship programming, And this 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.839 is applicable, for instance, like UNC or WashU 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:10.759 or UVA, Emory, or Duke's, Robertson. These colleges 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:14.440 would have scholarship programming. And that 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:16.460 means an alumni network built in, a community 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:19.180 built in, maybe an office on campus built in. 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:21.839 And for some scholarship programming, they will 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:24.720 have stipends or they will have funding for all 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:26.579 your summer experiences. And that is definitely 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:28.299 something to look into as well and something 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:32.180 to differentiate if you're offered many. My piece 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:34.819 of advice specifically for this is that most 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:36.400 of the scholarships, merit -based scholarships, 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:39.299 would require more essays. And a lot of this 00:24:39.299 --> 00:24:42.200 would be meeting the deadline. And this is often 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:44.819 before your regular decision deadline in January. 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:47.980 Most of these scholarships require you to be 00:24:47.980 --> 00:24:50.799 on your game and to apply for these as early 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:54.380 as November. And November 1st, November 15th, 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:58.140 November 30th, December 1st. And all these deadlines 00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:00.940 are important because if you miss that deadline, 00:25:01.069 --> 00:25:03.589 you might not qualify for this merit -based scholarship 00:25:03.589 --> 00:25:05.970 that would have been a game changer in your college 00:25:05.970 --> 00:25:09.329 decision process and just to do everything that 00:25:09.329 --> 00:25:12.210 you can to meet the scholarship program director 00:25:12.210 --> 00:25:15.170 to meet and chat with current scholars and alumni 00:25:15.170 --> 00:25:17.910 because with these scholarship programs every 00:25:17.910 --> 00:25:22.569 little thing counts and also I think if you do 00:25:22.569 --> 00:25:25.009 are if you are in a position that you have received 00:25:25.009 --> 00:25:27.569 one to be proud of yourself it is so incredibly 00:25:27.569 --> 00:25:30.930 difficult to get a merit base it is so hard to 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:33.569 get a full ride or full tuition to an institution 00:25:33.569 --> 00:25:36.410 and would i would argue that sometimes it is 00:25:36.410 --> 00:25:39.410 more it is more difficult than just getting into 00:25:39.410 --> 00:25:41.990 like a top five or an ivy league institutions 00:25:41.990 --> 00:25:45.470 because there are such there is such a selective 00:25:45.470 --> 00:25:48.980 few spots offered and there's such a big such 00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:51.180 competitive and like everyone is a qualified 00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:55.420 applicant pool and I think a note on applying 00:25:55.420 --> 00:25:57.940 RD this is such an important goal that I think 00:25:57.940 --> 00:26:00.279 so many people miss and it is so sad is that 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:02.339 you need to understand the goal and the purpose 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:04.759 of these full rights or full tuition scholarships 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:08.720 the goal is for an for an applicant that has 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:10.660 such a strong profile that would probably get 00:26:10.660 --> 00:26:13.759 into Ivy League institutions or Stanford MIT 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:16.400 as such and the goal of these scholarships is 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:20.730 for top 20s like guashu vanderbilt rice for these 00:26:20.730 --> 00:26:24.009 these institutions to offer merit -based scholarship 00:26:24.009 --> 00:26:26.910 as a motivation inspiration for those students 00:26:26.910 --> 00:26:29.450 that might have otherwise gone otherwhere elsewhere 00:26:29.450 --> 00:26:32.670 to go to stay in their college for that and kind 00:26:32.670 --> 00:26:35.049 of in other words investing in their potential 00:26:35.049 --> 00:26:39.509 so if you were to have applied ed or ea to some 00:26:39.509 --> 00:26:42.829 of these colleges offering offering merit scholarships 00:26:42.829 --> 00:26:46.559 they would be they might be less It might be 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:48.319 more reluctant to give you these scholarships 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:50.799 if they know that you're binded to go to the 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:53.460 institution other than another institution elsewhere. 00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:57.000 And that is what I will say on that. So to make 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:59.539 sure that, as with everything, understand the 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:01.880 goal, understand the purpose, so you know how 00:27:01.880 --> 00:27:05.299 to proceed and do what is best for you. And for 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:08.400 internationals, internationals would also say 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:10.900 you need to watch out for the time as well, because 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:15.740 it is important. And while... A lot of merit 00:27:15.740 --> 00:27:18.660 scholarships would also offer U .S. and international 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:21.460 citizens. I can say from experience that the 00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:25.400 international poll is so much smaller. For instance, 00:27:25.539 --> 00:27:28.920 Emory's finalist program, there were about, I 00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:32.920 think, like about 150 finalists that are U .S. 00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:36.119 citizens or domestic. But for international finalist 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:38.720 applicants, there were only seven or around that 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.369 number. I think it is just... essentially more 00:27:42.369 --> 00:27:44.369 difficult as an international student to receive 00:27:44.369 --> 00:27:46.869 these merit scholarships. And there are some 00:27:46.869 --> 00:27:50.109 very specific, some that offer scholarships only 00:27:50.109 --> 00:27:52.730 for internationals. And I think a notable example 00:27:52.730 --> 00:27:55.109 is the Wesleyan Asian Freeman Scholarship for 00:27:55.109 --> 00:27:58.710 students of Asian descent and the Wesleyan African 00:27:58.710 --> 00:28:01.089 Scholars Program. And for these scholarships, 00:28:01.230 --> 00:28:03.210 you would not be eligible if you are a US citizen. 00:28:03.430 --> 00:28:07.210 So some specific caveats of scholarships to look 00:28:07.210 --> 00:28:10.420 out for. and the goal with the also with finalist 00:28:10.420 --> 00:28:12.140 interviews as an international student you might 00:28:12.140 --> 00:28:15.019 not be invited just because there aren't sufficient 00:28:15.019 --> 00:28:17.859 funds for you to visit campus to have your finalist 00:28:17.859 --> 00:28:20.720 interview in person so if it's virtual it's definitely 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:22.759 a different experience and I would caution you 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:27.019 to prepare for that very well as well and the 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:29.460 last thing I'll say for internationals is also 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:33.240 It is just essentially more difficult with it 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:35.779 is so much of college applications process is 00:28:35.779 --> 00:28:38.559 already a crapshoot is so difficult. And it is 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:41.380 so it does not it is so hard to get into. And 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:43.460 it's just a game of luck, essentially. And so 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:46.000 much of this is also dependent on political climate, 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:48.440 current political climate or international relations 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:50.839 with the country that you are a citizen from. 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:53.720 So I think or like less quotas, less spots, less 00:28:53.720 --> 00:28:56.140 seats available for international. So just as 00:28:56.140 --> 00:28:58.180 a goal, we see you international students keep. 00:28:58.569 --> 00:29:02.950 Keep working hard. It is very difficult. Okay, 00:29:03.009 --> 00:29:05.809 so thank you, Premi, for those details, especially 00:29:05.809 --> 00:29:09.849 for the students who aren't U .S. citizens. It's 00:29:09.849 --> 00:29:11.650 really important that you kind of look at some 00:29:11.650 --> 00:29:13.809 of those fine details of when you're applying 00:29:13.809 --> 00:29:19.900 and how to apply. This idea of terms of like 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:23.339 institutional aid, including merit -based as 00:29:23.339 --> 00:29:25.680 well as need -based. Well, moving on, there's 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:28.000 another avenue of aid that many U .S. citizens 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:31.299 and eligible permanent residents can seek help 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:34.680 in, and that's federal aid. Unfortunately, international 00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:37.799 students are not eligible for this type of aid 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:40.819 because this aid comes directly from the U .S. 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:43.660 federal government. Federal funding is not as 00:29:43.660 --> 00:29:47.420 extensive as institutional aid. Aspects include 00:29:47.420 --> 00:29:50.480 the Pell Grant, which actually I received when 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:53.579 I was at university a long time ago. I received 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:57.700 a small Pell Grant amount. A Pell Grant is given 00:29:57.700 --> 00:30:00.079 without the expectation that the student has 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:03.539 to return that money back. In other words, it's 00:30:03.539 --> 00:30:05.839 simply money paid directly to the institution 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:09.440 of your choice, which will help reduce part of 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:12.759 that semester cost or the tuition cost. The Pell 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:15.079 Grant amount varies from year to year. For instance, 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:18.099 in the academic year starting in the fall, the 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:24.039 maximum Pell awarded is around $7 ,300. The Pell 00:30:24.039 --> 00:30:26.539 Grant amount ranges from zero, you could get 00:30:26.539 --> 00:30:30.180 a reply back that says zero, or up to $7 ,000. 00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:33.869 $300, almost $400. Additionally, federal aid 00:30:33.869 --> 00:30:37.789 can come in the form of both subsidized and unsubsidized 00:30:37.789 --> 00:30:40.569 loans, with varying interest rates in terms of 00:30:40.569 --> 00:30:43.250 repayment. The amount of the Pell Grant and the 00:30:43.250 --> 00:30:46.309 loans are determined by the Student Aid Index, 00:30:46.609 --> 00:30:50.910 or the SAI. Thank you, Mr. Jason, for Pell Grant. 00:30:51.049 --> 00:30:54.450 You can also apply to receive federal aid through 00:30:54.450 --> 00:30:57.910 FAFSA, stand for the Free Application for Federal 00:30:57.910 --> 00:31:01.559 Student Aid. This is much shorter than CSS profile. 00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:05.319 As I did this with Premiere, also as mentioned, 00:31:05.400 --> 00:31:08.819 it's free. So there are no costs to apply. Eviction 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:13.039 looks perfect if your parents live together or 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:17.859 divorce, right? In our case, for this factor 00:31:17.859 --> 00:31:21.519 form, we can use only cousin and parent. So they 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:25.740 transform our revenue type bar to the US to show 00:31:25.740 --> 00:31:28.960 them that we need the support from the... From 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:31.460 the government, yeah. Yeah, thank you so much. 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:35.059 And I think it is in different or in complex 00:31:35.059 --> 00:31:37.460 financial situations like mine, you can see the 00:31:37.460 --> 00:31:40.960 discrepancy in the SAI calculator and the institutional 00:31:40.960 --> 00:31:44.400 award awarded. And just really quickly, I'll 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:46.559 also make a note on outside scholarships. And 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:48.799 these are great scholarships, mostly merit -based. 00:31:49.450 --> 00:31:52.329 And some are both need and merit based, but a 00:31:52.329 --> 00:31:54.549 lot of them are just a mix of both. And these 00:31:54.549 --> 00:31:56.869 outside scholarships are wonderful because you 00:31:56.869 --> 00:31:59.029 can apply them directly to your institution regardless 00:31:59.029 --> 00:32:02.109 of where you go. So they are not tied to you 00:32:02.109 --> 00:32:04.549 get a scholarship at Duke. Therefore, you need 00:32:04.549 --> 00:32:06.430 to go to Duke to get the scholarship. You can 00:32:06.430 --> 00:32:09.009 use it anywhere. And unfortunately, this is limited 00:32:09.009 --> 00:32:12.230 mostly to U .S. citizens and living and to U 00:32:12.230 --> 00:32:14.599 .S. citizens living internationally. but mostly 00:32:14.599 --> 00:32:16.940 it is available for permanent residents or just 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:18.480 high school students living in the U .S. and 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:21.650 U .S. territories. eligible. And just very many 00:32:21.650 --> 00:32:23.970 scholarship search engines that I'll throw out 00:32:23.970 --> 00:32:26.309 there. College Board has Wonderful One, FastWeb, 00:32:26.309 --> 00:32:28.630 Bold .org, Scholarship, Owl, Niche, and more. 00:32:28.809 --> 00:32:31.150 And the award amount or selection criteria is 00:32:31.150 --> 00:32:33.450 very, very difficult. And a lot of these, the 00:32:33.450 --> 00:32:35.650 online scholarship services platforms are based 00:32:35.650 --> 00:32:38.150 on points. So how much you post, how much you 00:32:38.150 --> 00:32:40.329 profile, how much you engage in the... So you 00:32:40.329 --> 00:32:42.190 could argue that so much of it is not even based 00:32:42.190 --> 00:32:44.309 on need or even merit. And they're really hard 00:32:44.309 --> 00:32:46.839 to get. They're just a chance. block base and 00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:48.660 i would say big scholarships and these are more 00:32:48.660 --> 00:32:51.240 worthwhile to pursue in my opinion would be like 00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:53.539 coca -cola scholarships burger king and the gate 00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:55.920 scholarship and gate scholarship is wonderful 00:32:55.920 --> 00:32:58.619 it is pillow eligible it is absolutely dollar 00:32:58.619 --> 00:33:00.980 for dollar amount so it is a full ride anything 00:33:00.980 --> 00:33:02.940 any fees that you need you can get your money 00:33:02.940 --> 00:33:05.380 back for and there's also a junior scholarship 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:08.200 the coolidge um that offers a full ride anywhere 00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:10.539 you go as well and that is a great deal as well 00:33:10.539 --> 00:33:13.319 and let's also say the other There are also certain 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:15.400 scholarships built in for different groups of 00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:17.839 people, like marginalized or people of color, 00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:20.880 such as like the Black Thurgood Marshall College 00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:23.599 Fund or Ron Brown Scholarship. There's also scholarships 00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:26.819 specifically for women, LGBTQ communities, disabilities, 00:33:27.200 --> 00:33:30.640 undocumented or DACA, DACA students, like the 00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:34.410 DREAM. And for U .S. citizens abroad, I'll just 00:33:34.410 --> 00:33:36.569 shout out some names really quickly. These are 00:33:36.569 --> 00:33:38.950 the ones that I was only able to apply for because 00:33:38.950 --> 00:33:41.849 many of the big scholarships are limited to citizens 00:33:41.849 --> 00:33:44.430 or just high school students living in the U 00:33:44.430 --> 00:33:47.509 .S. So for U .S. citizens living abroad, these 00:33:47.509 --> 00:33:49.890 are some scholarships you'll be eligible for. 00:33:50.049 --> 00:33:52.369 Jimmy Rain Foundation, Live Mass, that's Taco 00:33:52.369 --> 00:33:54.470 Bell Scholarship, Jackie Robinson Scholarship. 00:33:54.839 --> 00:33:57.779 Greenhouse Scholarship, GE Reagan Scholarship, 00:33:57.799 --> 00:34:00.420 Equitable Excellence Scholarship Program, BIPOC 00:34:00.420 --> 00:34:03.400 and Flagship Point Foundation, LGBTQ Plus Scholarships, 00:34:03.460 --> 00:34:07.299 API QWTC Scholarship, that's for Asians, and 00:34:07.299 --> 00:34:09.960 API Scholarships, that's also for Asians. The 00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:11.820 one thing I'll say is if you are a resident, 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:14.039 make sure you look into that in -state tuition 00:34:14.039 --> 00:34:17.550 benefits and you will get... A higher chance 00:34:17.550 --> 00:34:19.469 of admissions as well. And case studies, for 00:34:19.469 --> 00:34:24.170 example, UNC Chapel Hill and UVA, William & Mary. 00:34:24.250 --> 00:34:26.929 So many of these, the need portion and the applicant 00:34:26.929 --> 00:34:30.070 admissions portion will depend depending on your 00:34:30.070 --> 00:34:33.989 residency. And for appeals, I will get into appeals 00:34:33.989 --> 00:34:36.449 in a little bit. Dad, could you also talk about 00:34:36.449 --> 00:34:38.929 some other options for scholarships and holding 00:34:38.929 --> 00:34:41.230 on like scholarships with like a regional or 00:34:41.230 --> 00:34:43.510 geographical scale, especially for international 00:34:43.510 --> 00:34:47.050 students? Sure. Thank you, Premi. okay in thailand 00:34:47.050 --> 00:34:51.090 we there many scholarship right but most of them 00:34:51.090 --> 00:34:55.690 they give us only graduation right so uh we uh 00:34:55.690 --> 00:34:58.090 looking for only kind of right there we could 00:34:58.090 --> 00:35:01.389 find some uh scholarship like bangcha or hcb 00:35:01.389 --> 00:35:05.889 they pay you a whole cost of living like a free 00:35:05.889 --> 00:35:08.889 like a full right but and but you gotta sign 00:35:08.889 --> 00:35:11.230 a contract to work for them after you graduate 00:35:11.230 --> 00:35:15.250 like 1 .5 two times of the of the time you study 00:35:15.250 --> 00:35:18.650 for that's how it look like also be sure that 00:35:18.650 --> 00:35:22.309 to find scholarship based on your country may 00:35:22.309 --> 00:35:24.849 find that instance if you are dual citizen thai 00:35:24.849 --> 00:35:28.730 and us living in thailand you may find both uh 00:35:28.730 --> 00:35:32.309 corporate and company scholarship like a government 00:35:32.309 --> 00:35:35.469 scholarship also in thailand they call gopore 00:35:35.469 --> 00:35:38.929 right And for those who live in the U .S., there 00:35:38.929 --> 00:35:41.630 are often state and local scholarships available, 00:35:41.869 --> 00:35:45.050 like Durham in North Carolina. While these scholarships 00:35:45.050 --> 00:35:47.929 are often a small amount, they tend to be a lower 00:35:47.929 --> 00:35:51.809 competition. Thus, they are your chance. And 00:35:51.809 --> 00:35:55.289 another part is a scholarship through your parents' 00:35:55.510 --> 00:35:59.250 company. And if you decide to take your student 00:35:59.250 --> 00:36:02.550 loan, like an international student, you will 00:36:02.550 --> 00:36:05.699 face difficulty in the sort of... pay loan money 00:36:05.699 --> 00:36:10.460 from, right? And those interest of loan may often 00:36:10.460 --> 00:36:12.960 be better than borrow from college institution, 00:36:13.300 --> 00:36:16.659 federal government, banks. Now, Pramit will talk 00:36:16.659 --> 00:36:19.000 about different way to receive more aid, institution 00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:22.300 aid, please. Yes, okay, specifically for institution 00:36:22.300 --> 00:36:24.659 aid, I know we've covered this, but this is in 00:36:24.659 --> 00:36:27.280 the case or in the event that you've done the 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:29.340 CSH profile, you've loaded documents either through 00:36:29.340 --> 00:36:32.039 the IDOC or through your own or through your 00:36:32.039 --> 00:36:34.500 college admissions portal. You've done everything 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:37.380 that you can and you receive this financial need 00:36:37.380 --> 00:36:39.980 -based institutional award package. And it's 00:36:39.980 --> 00:36:42.699 simply not enough. For some reason or the other, 00:36:42.780 --> 00:36:45.260 it doesn't fully encapsulate what your family 00:36:45.260 --> 00:36:49.079 is able to pay. And there is this process called 00:36:49.079 --> 00:36:51.519 the appeal process, or in some colleges might 00:36:51.519 --> 00:36:54.679 call a request, a review of your financial process. 00:36:55.059 --> 00:36:57.599 And essentially, you submit more documents. You 00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:00.760 submit a written statement to essentially ask. 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:03.980 Ask or request a college institution for more 00:37:03.980 --> 00:37:07.659 need -based institutional aid. and for some i 00:37:07.659 --> 00:37:10.400 think i've done the appeal process and just to 00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:13.420 make make to keep in mind it takes time it takes 00:37:13.420 --> 00:37:15.300 time to upload it takes time to make sure that 00:37:15.300 --> 00:37:17.920 documents are received you need to be sure to 00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:20.699 follow up on them and to always inquire about 00:37:20.699 --> 00:37:24.059 um the financial aid appeal process like the 00:37:24.059 --> 00:37:26.400 timeline how long will it take because you might 00:37:26.400 --> 00:37:28.760 have to make your decision very soon and it would 00:37:28.760 --> 00:37:31.800 also say if you're able to make sure you appeal 00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:34.840 or submit your appeal process if you are admitted 00:37:34.840 --> 00:37:37.210 or early early restrictive action like i was 00:37:37.210 --> 00:37:42.230 um make sure you are able to um have start this 00:37:42.230 --> 00:37:45.530 start and submit this appeal process before rd 00:37:45.530 --> 00:37:48.510 regular decision decisions come out because that 00:37:48.510 --> 00:37:50.989 would be just another wave of thousands of applicants 00:37:50.989 --> 00:37:54.050 with financial need that the the committee or 00:37:54.050 --> 00:37:57.329 the financial office has to look for okay some 00:37:57.329 --> 00:38:00.030 quick advice on what i've observed to be successful 00:38:00.030 --> 00:38:02.670 appeals one you make sure to submit documents 00:38:02.670 --> 00:38:05.550 all documents support your points two if you're 00:38:05.550 --> 00:38:08.210 your your parents income for the next for the 00:38:08.210 --> 00:38:11.110 tax year because um financial aid they look at 00:38:11.449 --> 00:38:13.829 previous previous tax year for instance i'm starting 00:38:13.829 --> 00:38:18.150 college in fall 2025 they wanted my 2023 parents 00:38:18.150 --> 00:38:21.150 income but if my 2024 parents incomes are significant 00:38:21.150 --> 00:38:23.710 lower then include that that will be a game changer 00:38:23.710 --> 00:38:26.289 in your appeal and as far as i know it is helpful 00:38:26.289 --> 00:38:27.969 to have a paragraph in your written statement 00:38:27.969 --> 00:38:31.230 that is similar to my parents make this amount 00:38:31.639 --> 00:38:34.099 a month and we pay this amount for mortgage this 00:38:34.099 --> 00:38:36.800 amount towards my tuition this amount daily expenses 00:38:36.800 --> 00:38:40.000 with only this amount left in savings and if 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:42.119 and then you times 12 for that amount in a year 00:38:42.119 --> 00:38:45.380 and you can say it with no inconceivable like 00:38:45.380 --> 00:38:48.780 way to afford to afford like this amount that 00:38:48.780 --> 00:38:51.699 you're given for my tuition expenses at xx college 00:38:51.699 --> 00:38:54.679 and you can also say you use a conservative estimate 00:38:54.679 --> 00:38:56.920 and what i will say is i think from what i've 00:38:56.920 --> 00:38:59.360 observed if you do break down in month it will 00:38:59.360 --> 00:39:01.820 the perceived value i don't know how much that 00:39:01.820 --> 00:39:03.840 goes to help but the perceived value might look 00:39:03.840 --> 00:39:06.860 less if you break it down in a month and also 00:39:06.860 --> 00:39:08.559 like in other countries like thailand income 00:39:08.559 --> 00:39:11.900 is primarily based like from a month anyway and 00:39:11.900 --> 00:39:14.400 also to make sure you dig in go all out look 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:17.289 at previous tax forms and see which parts are 00:39:17.289 --> 00:39:19.630 factored in look at college look at the college 00:39:19.630 --> 00:39:21.849 financial website which parts are factored in 00:39:21.849 --> 00:39:24.070 and if they've decreased and if they have make 00:39:24.070 --> 00:39:26.750 sure you convey that express that properly and 00:39:26.750 --> 00:39:29.510 clearly in your appeal as well as siblings in 00:39:29.510 --> 00:39:31.769 college this is an also important factor and 00:39:31.769 --> 00:39:33.989 as well as for special circumstances this includes 00:39:33.989 --> 00:39:37.090 like medical bills um elderly care like accidents 00:39:37.090 --> 00:39:40.360 death in the family or loss of job income, etc. 00:39:40.659 --> 00:39:43.239 And to always be sure, yeah, to follow up, make 00:39:43.239 --> 00:39:45.019 sure the financial aid received all of them. 00:39:45.099 --> 00:39:47.099 And also to book meetings with your financial 00:39:47.099 --> 00:39:49.719 aid officers. This is especially important, especially 00:39:49.719 --> 00:39:52.320 if you are assigned to one. And if you are able 00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:55.340 to fly out to that university, fly out, go to 00:39:55.340 --> 00:39:57.239 their financial aid office in person and have 00:39:57.239 --> 00:39:59.199 that conversation. But if you're not able to, 00:39:59.239 --> 00:40:01.980 that's okay too. Just book a meeting and meet 00:40:01.980 --> 00:40:04.000 with them virtually. But face -to -face is always 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:06.250 important. And finally, what I will say is so 00:40:06.250 --> 00:40:09.530 important is always be nice and polite and considerate. 00:40:09.530 --> 00:40:14.130 Because regardless of what happens, this financial 00:40:14.130 --> 00:40:17.730 aid officer, you will be in conversation with 00:40:17.730 --> 00:40:20.750 them for the next four years. So this is important 00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:22.570 that you are considerate and you keep a great 00:40:22.570 --> 00:40:24.670 relationship with them. And dad, do you want 00:40:24.670 --> 00:40:27.389 to say something about how our appeal process 00:40:27.389 --> 00:40:30.469 looked like? Sure. Premier talked about the process 00:40:30.469 --> 00:40:33.650 already. Now, after we... did it already there 00:40:33.650 --> 00:40:35.809 are some results from the university that uh 00:40:35.809 --> 00:40:40.010 premier accepted like um the first one the the 00:40:40.010 --> 00:40:43.989 year right the year we accepted uh center december 00:40:43.989 --> 00:40:47.909 but we delayed three four months waiting for 00:40:47.909 --> 00:40:52.510 her mother uh revenue incomes data so we are 00:40:52.510 --> 00:40:55.710 still waiting for it and the second one duke 00:40:55.710 --> 00:40:59.130 university we just we just get the result from 00:40:59.130 --> 00:41:03.849 the full 98k our tuition fee to 78k up after 00:41:03.849 --> 00:41:07.250 we got the data from the u .s and we also we 00:41:07.250 --> 00:41:10.590 got a pay grant also the third one washington 00:41:10.590 --> 00:41:15.030 university we got a full tuition with uh with 00:41:15.030 --> 00:41:18.070 the merit and pay grant also and the fourth one 00:41:18.070 --> 00:41:23.570 it really marry uh together from 70k to 50k right 00:41:23.570 --> 00:41:27.800 for a tuition assistant And UNC, that's a good 00:41:27.800 --> 00:41:30.719 thing because the premier state and we got a 00:41:30.719 --> 00:41:34.280 full tuition and we finally saw more headcanons 00:41:34.280 --> 00:41:38.900 also, right? And sixth one, we got Boston University, 00:41:39.099 --> 00:41:43.139 we got full tuition also. And seventh one, we 00:41:43.139 --> 00:41:45.820 got Urbana, right? Yeah, that's an example of 00:41:45.820 --> 00:41:49.619 the result, yeah. All right, thank you so much. 00:41:49.659 --> 00:41:51.579 And I will say like with all those results, you 00:41:51.579 --> 00:41:54.380 may see that. well, okay, this college is giving 00:41:54.380 --> 00:41:56.619 like full scholarships. That might be because 00:41:56.619 --> 00:41:59.500 of merit. Or like William & Mary, UNC, they only 00:41:59.500 --> 00:42:02.099 take into account custodial parents' income. 00:42:02.380 --> 00:42:04.360 And that's why I was able to get need -based 00:42:04.360 --> 00:42:07.639 aid from those institutions. And just if you 00:42:07.639 --> 00:42:09.940 go back and listen again, my financial circumstance 00:42:09.940 --> 00:42:12.300 is complicated. And that would be like the last 00:42:12.300 --> 00:42:14.360 question that I would ask. And that is just where 00:42:14.360 --> 00:42:17.280 we are at now in the journey. And thank you so 00:42:17.280 --> 00:42:19.840 much, everyone, for tuning in. And I hope that 00:42:19.840 --> 00:42:21.840 you were able to find at least some of that information. 00:42:22.090 --> 00:42:25.769 useful and I know that it was like it might be 00:42:25.769 --> 00:42:27.590 overwhelming that is a lot of information that 00:42:27.590 --> 00:42:29.230 is everything I've learned over the course of 00:42:29.230 --> 00:42:31.650 two years so having that condensed in 40 minutes 00:42:31.650 --> 00:42:35.170 can be like really overwhelming so stick out 00:42:35.170 --> 00:42:37.719 with me Reach out if you have any questions about 00:42:37.719 --> 00:42:39.659 this. I'll be so happy to answer through Let's 00:42:39.659 --> 00:42:42.780 Students Incorporate website or email. And again, 00:42:42.920 --> 00:42:44.820 while some may have it easier than others, it 00:42:44.820 --> 00:42:47.199 can often be discouraging. But keep pushing on. 00:42:47.239 --> 00:42:49.360 Keep fighting. College education in the United 00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:52.099 States is so expensive. And because of this, 00:42:52.199 --> 00:42:54.719 we wish you the best. And now we'll be expanding 00:42:54.719 --> 00:42:56.639 the reach to the possibilities of a college education 00:42:56.639 --> 00:42:59.159 in other countries. And we'll be inviting Hebe 00:42:59.159 --> 00:43:01.519 and Adi, who have all recently gone through this 00:43:01.519 --> 00:43:03.199 process, to share their insights and advice. 00:43:05.960 --> 00:43:14.599 Adi and Hiwi's part goes here. Continue. Thank 00:43:14.599 --> 00:43:16.420 you so much for joining us today and for sharing 00:43:16.420 --> 00:43:18.860 the insights. There's always, always other options. 00:43:18.920 --> 00:43:21.599 Take a gap year, work, two -year technical trade 00:43:21.599 --> 00:43:23.599 school, community college, and then you could 00:43:23.599 --> 00:43:26.789 always transfer. And if I were to give... a piece 00:43:26.789 --> 00:43:30.650 of advice to those applying and affording colleges 00:43:30.650 --> 00:43:35.289 in the U .S., I would ask, what do you think, 00:43:35.309 --> 00:43:37.429 Dad, from the perspective of a parent, what would 00:43:37.429 --> 00:43:40.489 be your advice? For the important thing, you've 00:43:40.489 --> 00:43:44.510 got to talk your family together. And if you 00:43:44.510 --> 00:43:47.210 can afford, like a counselor to consult you, 00:43:47.250 --> 00:43:50.590 you can go with them. But if you cannot... uh 00:43:50.590 --> 00:43:53.489 you can do it by yourself like premi she could 00:43:53.489 --> 00:43:55.949 go to the year of duke whatever without consultant 00:43:55.949 --> 00:44:00.389 but with uh i see a support that's enough and 00:44:00.389 --> 00:44:03.150 one more thing that don't give up right do your 00:44:03.150 --> 00:44:06.110 best and you won't look at later and god bless 00:44:06.110 --> 00:44:11.199 you okay Thank you so much. And I will say to 00:44:11.199 --> 00:44:13.199 that point, you have a good point. I think you 00:44:13.199 --> 00:44:16.059 are able to afford. I think I have different 00:44:16.059 --> 00:44:18.000 thoughts on the admissions process, the counseling 00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:20.059 bit, but I definitely think that having someone 00:44:20.059 --> 00:44:22.460 who is familiar with the financial aid process 00:44:22.460 --> 00:44:27.079 and the financial aspect of the college affordability 00:44:27.079 --> 00:44:30.380 aspect, that is definitely helpful. And if I 00:44:30.380 --> 00:44:32.699 were to give a piece of advice to an underclassman 00:44:32.699 --> 00:44:34.880 about to start this process or in the middle 00:44:34.880 --> 00:44:36.840 of college applications and in particular for 00:44:36.840 --> 00:44:41.170 affording college, i would say look out reach 00:44:41.170 --> 00:44:43.610 out there are so many resources there are so 00:44:43.610 --> 00:44:46.409 many opportunities and to never be afraid i can 00:44:46.409 --> 00:44:49.269 share personally that for emory i ended up being 00:44:49.269 --> 00:44:51.429 a finalist for emory's full ride program and 00:44:51.429 --> 00:44:54.590 i i ended up getting 100k on lower arts college 00:44:54.590 --> 00:44:57.070 scholarship and i submitted the application two 00:44:57.070 --> 00:45:01.349 days late the deadline was november 15th I found 00:45:01.349 --> 00:45:04.309 out about this opportunity November 17th. And 00:45:04.309 --> 00:45:06.530 it was really sad because, oh, if it were just 00:45:06.530 --> 00:45:08.349 two days ago, I could have submitted it. But 00:45:08.349 --> 00:45:10.570 I reached out. I emailed the admissions counselor 00:45:10.570 --> 00:45:12.909 and asked if I might still be able to submit 00:45:12.909 --> 00:45:14.909 my application, even though it was two days late. 00:45:15.150 --> 00:45:17.010 And that person replied back saying, OK, you 00:45:17.010 --> 00:45:18.989 have five hours to do it. And that's what I did. 00:45:19.090 --> 00:45:21.989 And in those five hours, I earned 100K. And I 00:45:21.989 --> 00:45:24.179 think it just goes to show that. Don't be afraid. 00:45:24.280 --> 00:45:26.320 You might be living hundreds and thousands of 00:45:26.320 --> 00:45:28.400 miles away from all these institutions. But there 00:45:28.400 --> 00:45:30.860 are means of contacting them. Reach out. Check 00:45:30.860 --> 00:45:33.139 out for deadlines. Reach out. There are so many 00:45:33.139 --> 00:45:35.139 opportunities. There are so many chances. And 00:45:35.139 --> 00:45:37.980 I know it is hard. I know it is hard. But I believe 00:45:37.980 --> 00:45:39.840 in you. You can do this. And just push forward. 00:45:39.940 --> 00:45:42.159 Persevere. Everything will be okay in the end. 00:45:42.199 --> 00:45:44.579 It might not look like it. It might be so stressful 00:45:44.579 --> 00:45:47.699 and anxiety -inducing in the process. But outside, 00:45:47.940 --> 00:45:50.320 there is a light at the tunnel. You will be okay. 00:45:50.659 --> 00:45:52.619 And everything will work out. Just keep pushing. 00:45:52.880 --> 00:45:55.320 and keep fighting. And support systems are so 00:45:55.320 --> 00:45:57.460 important to make out. Make sure you lean on 00:45:57.460 --> 00:46:12.519 to those as well. Thank you so much for joining 00:46:12.519 --> 00:46:14.900 us. Could you introduce yourself and what majors 00:46:14.900 --> 00:46:17.380 or fields of study you're interested in, Adi? 00:46:18.639 --> 00:46:22.869 So as you said, my name is Adi and I have an 00:46:22.869 --> 00:46:26.050 interest in medicine, so I'm planning on pursuing 00:46:26.050 --> 00:46:29.309 a career as a doctor and somewhere, somewhat 00:46:29.309 --> 00:46:32.010 in like literature as well. Oh, that's cool. 00:46:32.070 --> 00:46:35.309 Literature? Yeah, I like journalism. I did not 00:46:35.309 --> 00:46:37.809 know that. Well, I applied for that first and 00:46:37.809 --> 00:46:40.889 then I had to make changes. Oh, that's so cool. 00:46:41.210 --> 00:46:43.969 Okay. Could you tell us more about your initial 00:46:43.969 --> 00:46:46.650 expectations or hopes for pursuing colleges, 00:46:46.750 --> 00:46:50.349 including like which countries with which colleges? 00:46:50.940 --> 00:46:53.519 And also, where are you now on the journey of 00:46:53.519 --> 00:46:57.260 attending an affording college? Okay, so initially 00:46:57.260 --> 00:47:00.340 I wanted to go to America to pursue a career 00:47:00.340 --> 00:47:04.519 as a doctor there, but I soon realized that it's 00:47:04.519 --> 00:47:07.739 very expensive, especially as an international 00:47:07.739 --> 00:47:13.119 Asian, as well as it's also really long and it's 00:47:13.119 --> 00:47:15.719 also a gamble. Even if you finish your bachelor's, 00:47:15.719 --> 00:47:17.579 it's really hard for you to get into their med 00:47:17.579 --> 00:47:20.309 school as an international student. That was 00:47:20.309 --> 00:47:23.590 kind of a bummer. And even when I got in a program, 00:47:23.769 --> 00:47:27.050 I still couldn't pay for it. So I had to look 00:47:27.050 --> 00:47:30.250 elsewhere. So, and I wasn't, like UK was always 00:47:30.250 --> 00:47:32.809 my second choice. That's, you know, I lived there 00:47:32.809 --> 00:47:34.489 for a while and I have a lot of family members 00:47:34.489 --> 00:47:37.389 there. So I'm not that sad that I'm going to 00:47:37.389 --> 00:47:40.909 UK, but excited. Yeah. That's cool. Can you tell 00:47:40.909 --> 00:47:43.639 us like... Or, like, specifically, if you don't 00:47:43.639 --> 00:47:45.000 want to share, like, which colleges you've been 00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:46.840 accepted to or, like, which ones, like, do you 00:47:46.840 --> 00:47:49.880 know now for sure? Are you committed? Yeah, I'm, 00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:52.639 like, 90 % committed that I'm going to go to 00:47:52.639 --> 00:47:56.139 University of Dublin. But I might not go there 00:47:56.139 --> 00:47:59.559 if I don't get their financial aid, which kind 00:47:59.559 --> 00:48:02.679 of depends on my AP score. So let's hope I don't, 00:48:02.679 --> 00:48:06.320 like, fumble scores there. But if not, I'm probably 00:48:06.320 --> 00:48:09.380 going to go to one of the five, three UK schools 00:48:09.380 --> 00:48:12.039 that I've gotten in. that's cool could you talk 00:48:12.039 --> 00:48:14.280 a bit about like what that aid process looks 00:48:14.280 --> 00:48:16.340 like like do they meet all of you all you need 00:48:16.340 --> 00:48:19.559 base aid is it like all right base i will well 00:48:19.559 --> 00:48:22.079 the aid the way the aid works is basically if 00:48:22.079 --> 00:48:24.840 i get certain fives i'll be getting full ride 00:48:24.840 --> 00:48:28.639 oh that's so cool yeah so it is kind of like 00:48:28.639 --> 00:48:32.820 it has some things to it i need to keep my grades 00:48:32.820 --> 00:48:36.460 in university every year to have that aid right 00:48:36.460 --> 00:48:38.840 for all six years and i kind of also have to 00:48:38.840 --> 00:48:42.050 do residency there okay so it's like but i'm 00:48:42.050 --> 00:48:44.469 okay with that because it's a med school and 00:48:44.469 --> 00:48:46.630 i'm skipping the pre -med process so i'm already 00:48:46.630 --> 00:48:49.349 like getting some years off so i'm okay with 00:48:49.349 --> 00:48:54.050 that that's cool that's cool and like would you 00:48:54.050 --> 00:48:57.170 say like as a rule like in europe or like in 00:48:57.170 --> 00:48:59.789 uk you were saying like is the process of getting 00:48:59.789 --> 00:49:02.730 like easier to like the states or like merit 00:49:02.730 --> 00:49:06.429 wise or like how's the application like I think 00:49:06.429 --> 00:49:08.789 getting aid at the UK is much harder than the 00:49:08.789 --> 00:49:12.090 American. Oh, really? Well, to be honest, you 00:49:12.090 --> 00:49:14.150 don't get aid in med school in general. They 00:49:14.150 --> 00:49:17.989 just don't give it out. And the UK, most of the 00:49:17.989 --> 00:49:20.789 schools are very private and they don't get government 00:49:20.789 --> 00:49:25.730 aid. So it kind of makes it harder. And I don't 00:49:25.730 --> 00:49:30.269 want to be saying allegations, but they don't 00:49:30.269 --> 00:49:33.650 want a lot of Asians here. i see like would you 00:49:33.650 --> 00:49:36.030 be like an international i would be an international 00:49:36.030 --> 00:49:41.469 student i see so it has some baggages to it but 00:49:41.469 --> 00:49:44.909 they're ireland is not part of the uk because 00:49:44.909 --> 00:49:47.889 they left it so they kind of a nicer and more 00:49:47.889 --> 00:49:50.210 relaxed policies and they give a lot of aid which 00:49:50.210 --> 00:49:53.110 is wonderful for me i guess that's nice do you 00:49:53.110 --> 00:49:54.769 know what you have to decide by or like is there 00:49:54.769 --> 00:49:57.590 like a form you have to fill out um or like conditional 00:49:57.590 --> 00:50:02.179 acceptance uh well i've gotten in It's just this 00:50:02.179 --> 00:50:04.599 is for the aid qualification. I see. Which is 00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:07.139 because I'm not doing the A -levels, they kind 00:50:07.139 --> 00:50:11.340 of expect me to get more fives. Oh, no. So that's 00:50:11.340 --> 00:50:13.199 kind of a bummer, especially with some of my 00:50:13.199 --> 00:50:16.579 classes this year. It is kind of hard, but I 00:50:16.579 --> 00:50:21.199 think it should be sufficeable. It's okay. You 00:50:21.199 --> 00:50:23.000 got this. We believe in you. You're going to 00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:24.699 get fives and you're going to afford college. 00:50:24.900 --> 00:50:27.619 Sure. And we always like to end our guest segments 00:50:27.619 --> 00:50:31.190 by asking for advice. If you could give a piece 00:50:31.190 --> 00:50:33.750 of advice to underclassmen looking to apply and 00:50:33.750 --> 00:50:36.489 afford college in, like, you were saying, like, 00:50:36.510 --> 00:50:39.150 UK or, like, Europe, what would it be? And you 00:50:39.150 --> 00:50:40.670 can, like, be as specific as you want to be. 00:50:40.750 --> 00:50:42.670 You can talk, like, specifically, like, med school 00:50:42.670 --> 00:50:46.469 or, like, whatever you want to talk about. Yeah. 00:50:46.590 --> 00:50:50.110 So if you want to go to med school, I would say 00:50:50.110 --> 00:50:52.309 that you start preparing for all their standardized 00:50:52.309 --> 00:50:54.929 tests in 10th grade. I know that's kind of a 00:50:54.929 --> 00:50:57.389 bummer because I know most of us probably doesn't, 00:50:57.389 --> 00:50:59.130 we don't know what we want to do by 10th grade, 00:50:59.150 --> 00:51:02.159 but. It is the best thing you can do. Start preparing 00:51:02.159 --> 00:51:05.980 in 10th grade. And I don't know if this is like 00:51:05.980 --> 00:51:07.880 a great advice, but I would recommend everyone 00:51:07.880 --> 00:51:11.519 to get a college counselor. I never had one and 00:51:11.519 --> 00:51:14.079 I know people had one and it seems like it helped 00:51:14.079 --> 00:51:16.679 them a lot with this process. So I just think 00:51:16.679 --> 00:51:20.280 that would be a good thing to start with. And 00:51:20.280 --> 00:51:22.079 would you like recommend college counselor for 00:51:22.079 --> 00:51:24.800 like admissions and financial or like mostly 00:51:24.800 --> 00:51:27.690 one or the other or like for everything? if you're 00:51:27.690 --> 00:51:32.789 able to afford it. That is true. But, yeah. Well, 00:51:32.849 --> 00:51:35.429 if you want to just get into uni, a college counselor 00:51:35.429 --> 00:51:37.849 seems to always help people in our grade. Well, 00:51:37.909 --> 00:51:39.670 a lot of people in our grade have college counselors, 00:51:39.829 --> 00:51:43.449 so it does help them. Even financial aid, it 00:51:43.449 --> 00:51:45.210 seems like it helps them because I know friends 00:51:45.210 --> 00:51:47.389 who've gotten good financial packages with their 00:51:47.389 --> 00:51:51.110 college counselors. So, I mean, I know I get 00:51:51.110 --> 00:51:52.929 that most people can't afford it, but if you 00:51:52.929 --> 00:51:55.630 can, I think it's a good thing to invest in. 00:51:56.460 --> 00:51:58.880 Okay, thank you so much, Adi. Thank you for having 00:51:58.880 --> 00:52:01.420 me. And Hewee, thank you so much for joining 00:52:01.420 --> 00:52:03.739 us. Could you introduce yourself and what majors 00:52:03.739 --> 00:52:06.119 or fields of study that you're interested in? 00:52:06.320 --> 00:52:10.039 Okay, so my name is Grace, but people know me 00:52:10.039 --> 00:52:14.719 as Hewee. And I applied to marketing major and 00:52:14.719 --> 00:52:20.239 film major. So I applied to multiple universities 00:52:20.239 --> 00:52:24.070 in Korea. I applied to different majors for each 00:52:24.070 --> 00:52:27.530 school. That makes sense. So mostly it's marketing 00:52:27.530 --> 00:52:30.630 and film major. Thank you so much. And look who's 00:52:30.630 --> 00:52:32.449 on the marketing team making the best for us 00:52:32.449 --> 00:52:35.289 this season. Thank you. Could you tell us more 00:52:35.289 --> 00:52:37.389 about your initial expectations or hopes for 00:52:37.389 --> 00:52:39.210 where you wanted to go for college, including 00:52:39.210 --> 00:52:43.050 which countries or also where you are now on 00:52:43.050 --> 00:52:44.809 the journey of attending and affording college? 00:52:45.360 --> 00:52:49.019 So at first, I had like a dream of studying abroad. 00:52:49.179 --> 00:52:55.059 So I wanted to apply to like U .S. universities. 00:52:55.380 --> 00:53:01.380 But at the end, I ended up applying to only Korean 00:53:01.380 --> 00:53:05.219 universities. And I think I suit better in Korea. 00:53:05.340 --> 00:53:08.119 And there's always an opportunity for me to study 00:53:08.119 --> 00:53:10.619 abroad whenever I want. Maybe like as an exchange 00:53:10.619 --> 00:53:15.260 student or maybe as like graduate program. Yeah. 00:53:15.380 --> 00:53:17.760 And you'll get better food in Korea too. Yes, 00:53:17.760 --> 00:53:20.500 yes. For sure. And we'd always like to end with 00:53:20.500 --> 00:53:22.380 our guest segments by asking them for advice. 00:53:22.579 --> 00:53:24.880 If you could give a piece of advice to underclassmen 00:53:24.880 --> 00:53:27.480 looking to apply and afford college in Korea, 00:53:27.659 --> 00:53:34.420 what would it be? I think there will be like 00:53:34.420 --> 00:53:39.000 cultural differences, I guess. So first of all, 00:53:39.019 --> 00:53:43.860 get fluent in Korean. And also, i don't know 00:53:43.860 --> 00:53:46.800 don't don't be scared to try new things in korea 00:53:46.800 --> 00:53:50.179 because there are some like stereotypes not gonna 00:53:50.179 --> 00:53:54.719 lie in korea and that can make the people discouraged 00:53:54.719 --> 00:53:58.460 so like don't don't be scared of what people 00:53:58.460 --> 00:54:01.300 say or how they perceive you and just do your 00:54:01.300 --> 00:54:03.619 own thing yeah absolutely trying things thank 00:54:03.619 --> 00:54:12.400 you so much hiwi thank you CSPC and BP Pharmaceutical 00:54:12.400 --> 00:54:16.960 Co. Ltd., founded in 2003, is a leading modern 00:54:16.960 --> 00:54:19.880 pharmaceutical company in China specializing 00:54:19.880 --> 00:54:22.599 in innovative drug production. It was the first 00:54:22.599 --> 00:54:25.159 in the country to license patented drugs internationally 00:54:25.159 --> 00:54:28.699 with FDA standard facilities and advanced automated 00:54:28.699 --> 00:54:33.389 equipment. Its flagship product, DL -3N -Betilphthide, 00:54:33.590 --> 00:54:36.269 is a globally recognized stroke treatment benefiting 00:54:36.269 --> 00:54:39.349 over 10 million patients and backed by nearly 00:54:39.349 --> 00:54:42.650 40 domestic and international patents. The drug 00:54:42.650 --> 00:54:45.250 is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials in the 00:54:45.250 --> 00:54:48.269 U .S. and has received FDA Orphan Drug designation. 00:54:48.750 --> 00:54:51.789 The company has earned prestigious honors, including 00:54:51.789 --> 00:54:54.530 the China Industrial Award and the title of Green 00:54:54.530 --> 00:55:11.090 Factory. Recapping Part 6, The Escape. Hawthorne, 00:55:11.090 --> 00:55:13.889 Tommy, Miranda, and Ava explore El Castillo with 00:55:13.889 --> 00:55:16.730 David leading them. Two cartel members get distracted 00:55:16.730 --> 00:55:19.570 by the treasure, which proves to be fatal. The 00:55:19.570 --> 00:55:22.369 group escapes just in time while helping to save 00:55:22.369 --> 00:55:25.889 a park ranger. And without further ado, let's 00:55:25.889 --> 00:55:28.409 jump back into our story where we join our eclectic 00:55:28.409 --> 00:55:30.650 group of characters in their continuing adventure. 00:55:36.360 --> 00:55:38.719 As Professor Hawthorne squeezes through the small, 00:55:38.840 --> 00:55:41.579 rough, and rocky exit, the bright daylight meets 00:55:41.579 --> 00:55:44.559 him with a blinding intensity, just as it had 00:55:44.559 --> 00:55:47.059 with the others who made it safely out moments 00:55:47.059 --> 00:55:49.519 before him. As his eyes adjust to the light, 00:55:49.599 --> 00:55:52.900 he sees Miranda and Ava talking softly with the 00:55:52.900 --> 00:55:55.860 young park ranger. David, having helped Hawthorne 00:55:55.860 --> 00:55:58.380 out, was kneeling down next to the exit, waiting 00:55:58.380 --> 00:56:01.070 to help Tommy. Tommy appears less than a minute 00:56:01.070 --> 00:56:03.489 later and is able to exit the base of the pyramid 00:56:03.489 --> 00:56:06.190 just like the others had done. As Tommy stands 00:56:06.190 --> 00:56:09.210 up and brushes off his pants and shirt, Hawthorne 00:56:09.210 --> 00:56:11.789 asks, do we need to worry about the young cartel 00:56:11.789 --> 00:56:14.289 member? Still trying to adjust to the bright 00:56:14.289 --> 00:56:17.869 daylight, Tommy responds, no, he was just standing 00:56:17.869 --> 00:56:20.329 there, still bent over looking into the water. 00:56:20.789 --> 00:56:23.590 His partner disappeared in the current. There 00:56:23.590 --> 00:56:26.150 was nothing any of us could have done. It's weird, 00:56:26.269 --> 00:56:28.730 but I feel terrible that we couldn't save him. 00:56:29.320 --> 00:56:31.280 Hawthorne shakes his head in agreement and then 00:56:31.280 --> 00:56:33.900 says, yeah, that guy didn't have a chance once 00:56:33.900 --> 00:56:37.280 he sank into the deep part of the cenote. I grabbed 00:56:37.280 --> 00:56:39.420 their radio as I was leaving. I think there's 00:56:39.420 --> 00:56:41.739 another person out here somewhere, maybe a lookout. 00:56:42.360 --> 00:56:45.119 David then adds, I spotted another guy just around 00:56:45.119 --> 00:56:47.760 the corner, maybe 50 yards away from the base 00:56:47.760 --> 00:56:50.179 of the pyramid, just sitting there and waiting. 00:56:50.659 --> 00:56:53.340 And he doesn't look like the other tourists here 00:56:53.340 --> 00:56:55.599 today because he's not part of any tour group 00:56:55.599 --> 00:56:58.630 that I can tell. David changes the subject quickly 00:56:58.630 --> 00:57:01.429 and then says, Professor Hawthorne, can you call 00:57:01.429 --> 00:57:04.230 Lily? I think that's her name. And ask her to 00:57:04.230 --> 00:57:06.510 go to the Grand Museum's reception desk at the 00:57:06.510 --> 00:57:08.369 front of the building and confirm that something 00:57:08.369 --> 00:57:11.110 was dropped off for me. We need to make sure 00:57:11.110 --> 00:57:13.269 they are giving us the jade jar back as well. 00:57:14.010 --> 00:57:16.230 Once we can confirm it, then I can give them 00:57:16.230 --> 00:57:19.469 the location of the cenote. Hawthorne replies, 00:57:19.809 --> 00:57:22.449 good idea. I'll call her right now so she has 00:57:22.449 --> 00:57:24.840 time to check. Hawthorne gets on his phone, which 00:57:24.840 --> 00:57:27.880 now has a strong signal, and calls Lily. Hawthorne 00:57:27.880 --> 00:57:30.659 keeps the call short and says, Hello, Lily. I've 00:57:30.659 --> 00:57:33.280 got to keep this call short, but could you do 00:57:33.280 --> 00:57:35.599 me a huge favor and go up to the reception desk 00:57:35.599 --> 00:57:38.280 by the front entrance and see if there was something 00:57:38.280 --> 00:57:41.579 dropped off for David Silva? I can explain later. 00:57:41.699 --> 00:57:44.579 Just text me back yes or no as soon as you find 00:57:44.579 --> 00:57:48.119 out. After hearing Lily say no problem and will 00:57:48.119 --> 00:57:50.539 do, Hawthorne hangs up and tells the others. 00:57:51.070 --> 00:57:53.369 Tommy then starts explaining the plan to all 00:57:53.369 --> 00:57:55.789 of them. Okay, that's great to hear from James. 00:57:56.190 --> 00:57:59.090 Tommy says and then continues with his plan and 00:57:59.090 --> 00:58:01.730 says, if we go around the other side of the pyramid, 00:58:01.949 --> 00:58:04.630 we can then make our way through the ball court 00:58:04.630 --> 00:58:07.070 and we can avoid being seen by other supposed 00:58:07.070 --> 00:58:10.429 lookout. And David, maybe you can try to contact 00:58:10.429 --> 00:58:13.329 whoever is on the other side of the video. Let 00:58:13.329 --> 00:58:15.369 them know we gave them what they wanted, the 00:58:15.369 --> 00:58:18.429 secret cenote location, and make sure they think 00:58:18.429 --> 00:58:21.880 it's the cenote. Then we can get the J -Jaw and 00:58:21.880 --> 00:58:24.800 get your brother back. Tommy continues. Okay. 00:58:25.280 --> 00:58:27.460 We should go back directly to the Grand Museum 00:58:27.460 --> 00:58:29.800 once we catch one of the shuttles that leaves 00:58:29.800 --> 00:58:32.019 from the main parking lot. Miranda then says, 00:58:32.219 --> 00:58:34.619 okay, ball court, then to the parking lot for 00:58:34.619 --> 00:58:36.440 a shuttle back and then back to the Grand Museum. 00:58:36.699 --> 00:58:39.539 Got it. She then adds, the park ranger, I found 00:58:39.539 --> 00:58:41.699 out that his name is Louis. He's coming with 00:58:41.699 --> 00:58:43.880 us as he needs to go back to the park administrative 00:58:43.880 --> 00:58:46.559 headquarters next to the museum. He said he needs 00:58:46.559 --> 00:58:48.719 to report what happened to his boss, who will 00:58:48.719 --> 00:58:50.840 then pass it along to the provincial police who 00:58:50.840 --> 00:58:52.780 are stationed a few kilometers down the highway. 00:58:53.019 --> 00:58:56.190 All right. Let's go, guys. Tommy says as he starts 00:58:56.190 --> 00:58:58.369 walking around the opposite side of the pyramid 00:58:58.369 --> 00:59:00.929 toward the ball court to avoid the other suspected 00:59:00.929 --> 00:59:05.170 lookout. Hawthorne walks next to Tommy as they 00:59:05.170 --> 00:59:07.389 enter the ball court area of Chichen Itza and 00:59:07.389 --> 00:59:10.550 discuss what their next move should be. They 00:59:10.550 --> 00:59:12.869 stop talking partway through the ball court, 00:59:12.989 --> 00:59:15.070 just taking in the old ancient sports arena. 00:59:15.150 --> 00:59:17.250 It's quite impressive and the largest of its 00:59:17.250 --> 00:59:20.219 kind in Mesoamerica. The ball court measures 00:59:20.219 --> 00:59:23.480 at around 120 meters in length and about 30 meters 00:59:23.480 --> 00:59:26.659 wide. It's a large flat area with tall stone 00:59:26.659 --> 00:59:29.460 walls flanking each side of the court. Stone 00:59:29.460 --> 00:59:31.820 rings protrude from the walls toward the top 00:59:31.820 --> 00:59:34.750 of the wall. The Mayans used the court for games. 00:59:34.949 --> 00:59:37.550 In one of the games, contestants would use their 00:59:37.550 --> 00:59:40.610 hips, elbows, or knees in an effort to get a 00:59:40.610 --> 00:59:42.730 ball made of rubber through their opponent's 00:59:42.730 --> 00:59:45.449 stone ring. There were many tour groups mingling 00:59:45.449 --> 00:59:47.789 around and getting photos, which also helped 00:59:47.789 --> 00:59:50.269 the group blend in, just in case the lookout 00:59:50.269 --> 00:59:53.590 guy was walking around. As they exited the other 00:59:53.590 --> 00:59:55.730 end of the ball court and were now walking toward 00:59:55.730 --> 00:59:58.309 one of the main parking lots, the radio came 00:59:58.309 --> 01:00:06.739 alive in Hawthorne's pocket. The voice on the 01:00:06.739 --> 01:00:09.159 other end was asking for an update and what was 01:00:09.159 --> 01:00:11.880 going on. Hawthorne looked at Tommy and asked, 01:00:11.960 --> 01:00:15.340 should we answer it? What should we say? David, 01:00:15.360 --> 01:00:18.019 hearing the voice over the radio, jogged up to 01:00:18.019 --> 01:00:20.860 Hawthorne and Tommy and said, here, let me see 01:00:20.860 --> 01:00:23.059 the radio. I have an idea and I think you can 01:00:23.059 --> 01:00:26.059 buy us more time. David clicks the radio receiver 01:00:26.059 --> 01:00:28.679 and then speaks. We think we found the right 01:00:28.679 --> 01:00:31.480 place. We still need some time to confirm. It 01:00:31.480 --> 01:00:33.599 looks promising. I think the plan is working. 01:00:34.199 --> 01:00:36.599 David says this into the radio and in Spanish, 01:00:36.800 --> 01:00:39.179 trying to mimic what the other cartel members 01:00:39.179 --> 01:00:42.039 sounded like. The guy had barked enough orders 01:00:42.039 --> 01:00:44.400 at them while in the cavern, so David thought 01:00:44.400 --> 01:00:47.079 he could do the guy's voice, or at least get 01:00:47.079 --> 01:00:50.090 close to it. David then clicks off the receiver 01:00:50.090 --> 01:00:52.550 and waits for a response, holding his breath 01:00:52.550 --> 01:00:54.690 and secretly hoping the guy on the other side 01:00:54.690 --> 01:00:57.809 of the radio believes it's the voice of his criminal 01:00:57.809 --> 01:01:00.690 partner. The radio crackles one and then the 01:01:00.690 --> 01:01:03.269 voice then says, We'll keep moving ahead. Keep 01:01:03.269 --> 01:01:12.070 us posted. Out. It only took Lily a few minutes 01:01:12.070 --> 01:01:15.050 to walk to the reception desk at the Grand Museum. 01:01:15.679 --> 01:01:18.280 It was close to the entrance of the place, and 01:01:18.280 --> 01:01:20.460 it was close to where Lily and the other students 01:01:20.460 --> 01:01:23.320 were hanging out. There were multiple food and 01:01:23.320 --> 01:01:26.260 beverage vendors and comfortable seating areas 01:01:26.260 --> 01:01:29.460 near the reception table. The area inside the 01:01:29.460 --> 01:01:32.260 front of the museum would remind you of a combination 01:01:32.260 --> 01:01:36.139 of a food court with a local artisan craft market. 01:01:36.599 --> 01:01:40.260 On one side were the food and beverage vendors, 01:01:40.480 --> 01:01:43.719 and then on the other side were the artisan handicraft 01:01:43.719 --> 01:01:47.179 vendors. The museum's reception desk sat inside 01:01:47.179 --> 01:01:51.079 the main front doors and on one end of the large 01:01:51.079 --> 01:01:55.159 food and craft area. The tables and chairs sprouted 01:01:55.159 --> 01:01:58.719 out throughout the middle area. There were many 01:01:58.719 --> 01:02:01.719 tourists around, shopping, eating, and resting. 01:02:02.159 --> 01:02:05.699 Lily and the students were doing the same. When 01:02:05.699 --> 01:02:08.179 Lily received the call from Professor Hawthorne, 01:02:08.260 --> 01:02:11.099 she felt like something were going wrong. was 01:02:11.099 --> 01:02:14.119 going on but knew that Hawthorne couldn't explain 01:02:14.119 --> 01:02:17.559 it all to her over the phone. So, she just did 01:02:17.559 --> 01:02:20.579 what he asked. She looked over at where all the 01:02:20.579 --> 01:02:23.099 students were sitting. Some were eating, some 01:02:23.099 --> 01:02:25.420 were talking with each other, and some were quiet 01:02:25.420 --> 01:02:28.960 and on their phones. She then said, wait here, 01:02:29.139 --> 01:02:31.599 I've got to go check on something at the reception 01:02:31.599 --> 01:02:34.820 desk for the professor and I'll be right back. 01:02:35.920 --> 01:02:39.460 Lily got up from the table she was sitting at. 01:02:39.789 --> 01:02:41.969 and started walking toward the reception desk, 01:02:42.190 --> 01:02:45.110 which was on the opposite end of where they were 01:02:45.110 --> 01:02:52.670 all sitting. Carlos, who was just sitting there 01:02:52.670 --> 01:02:55.869 by himself, minding his own business. He had 01:02:55.869 --> 01:02:57.829 chosen a table that was close to both one of 01:02:57.829 --> 01:03:00.269 the popular food vendors and near the reception 01:03:00.269 --> 01:03:03.849 desk. He had a clear line of sight of the reception 01:03:03.849 --> 01:03:05.929 desk with the food vendor sitting just to his 01:03:05.929 --> 01:03:08.679 right side. Close enough that he could smell 01:03:08.679 --> 01:03:11.260 the fresh street tacos being made. He was definitely 01:03:11.260 --> 01:03:13.099 going to get some as soon as he had a chance. 01:03:13.800 --> 01:03:15.860 He was also playing one of his favorite games 01:03:15.860 --> 01:03:18.260 on his phone while waiting. He loved football, 01:03:18.440 --> 01:03:23.000 or what the Americans call soccer. And he secretly 01:03:23.000 --> 01:03:24.940 wished he could have been a better football player. 01:03:25.199 --> 01:03:27.199 If that would have been the case, then he wouldn't 01:03:27.199 --> 01:03:30.659 have to be doing this type of work. Anyway, Carlos 01:03:30.659 --> 01:03:33.119 just sat there, distracted by his video game 01:03:33.119 --> 01:03:35.360 and the smell of fresh street tacos being made 01:03:35.360 --> 01:03:37.940 next to him. He had to keep reminding himself 01:03:37.940 --> 01:03:40.659 to keep an eye on the reception desk to see if 01:03:40.659 --> 01:03:43.559 anyone comes and picks up the black bag Renata 01:03:43.559 --> 01:03:46.780 had placed there earlier. He sees a text message 01:03:46.780 --> 01:03:49.420 come through. It's from his aunt Maria and reads, 01:03:49.599 --> 01:03:52.519 Give me an update. Has anyone picked up the bag 01:03:52.519 --> 01:03:56.199 yet? Carlos texts back quickly, slightly annoyed 01:03:56.199 --> 01:03:58.659 that the text message interrupted his video game 01:03:58.659 --> 01:04:01.400 playing. And he texts back, No, nothing yet. 01:04:06.760 --> 01:04:09.739 As Lily weaved her way through all the tables 01:04:09.739 --> 01:04:12.320 and chairs, having left the students just a short 01:04:12.320 --> 01:04:14.559 two minutes prior who were keeping themselves 01:04:14.559 --> 01:04:18.079 busy, she looked toward the reception desk and 01:04:18.079 --> 01:04:20.719 saw a black bag sitting on the side of the desk, 01:04:20.780 --> 01:04:23.860 in plain sight and next to one of the desk attendants. 01:04:23.980 --> 01:04:27.480 She thinks, oh, I wonder if that's what Professor 01:04:27.480 --> 01:04:30.440 Hawthorne is talking about. As she nears the 01:04:30.440 --> 01:04:33.179 last of the seating area, she notices a guy who's 01:04:33.179 --> 01:04:35.260 sitting alone at a table pointing on his phone. 01:04:35.840 --> 01:04:38.460 The volume is up on his phone, that's probably 01:04:38.460 --> 01:04:41.599 what caught her attention. And Lily can see that 01:04:41.599 --> 01:04:44.980 he's playing a video game. She also notices that 01:04:44.980 --> 01:04:48.199 he's acting fidgety, looking up toward the reception 01:04:48.199 --> 01:04:51.519 desk, and then looking down at his game every 01:04:51.519 --> 01:04:55.380 few seconds. As she walks by him, she looks down 01:04:55.380 --> 01:04:59.659 at his table. This guy has his arms outstretched 01:04:59.659 --> 01:05:01.739 on the table and holding his phone and playing 01:05:01.739 --> 01:05:05.030 a video game. Lily notices that the guy has a 01:05:05.030 --> 01:05:08.769 tattoo on his wrist. The tattoo is of a cross 01:05:08.769 --> 01:05:12.469 with two small dots above the cross. She doesn't 01:05:12.469 --> 01:05:15.030 think much about it and then keeps walking towards 01:05:15.030 --> 01:05:18.050 the reception desk. All of a sudden, her phone 01:05:18.050 --> 01:05:20.849 rings. She looks down and sees that it's Professor 01:05:20.849 --> 01:05:30.940 Hawthorne, so she stops and answers it. As soon 01:05:30.940 --> 01:05:34.039 as Lily answers her phone, Hawthorne asks, is 01:05:34.039 --> 01:05:36.239 there something at the reception desk? Sorry 01:05:36.239 --> 01:05:38.239 to rush you, but it's a little time sensitive. 01:05:38.619 --> 01:05:40.920 The dean now walking a little slower toward the 01:05:40.920 --> 01:05:43.320 reception desk because she was on the phone, 01:05:43.440 --> 01:05:46.280 gets a little closer and then responds to Professor 01:05:46.280 --> 01:05:49.420 Hawthorne's and says, yeah, there's a black bag 01:05:49.420 --> 01:05:52.219 sitting there and it looks like a note is on 01:05:52.219 --> 01:05:54.840 it. However, I can't read it from where I'm standing. 01:05:55.420 --> 01:05:57.880 Okay, great, Hawthorne replies and then continues, 01:05:58.119 --> 01:06:00.860 don't pick it up. We'll be there in the next 01:06:00.860 --> 01:06:03.679 10 minutes or so, as we just caught a shuttle. 01:06:04.159 --> 01:06:06.440 David can be the one to pick up the black bag. 01:06:06.659 --> 01:06:09.119 You can go be with the students while you wait 01:06:09.119 --> 01:06:12.000 for us to arrive. Before Hawthorne hangs up, 01:06:12.000 --> 01:06:14.480 he asks one more question. Just out of curiosity, 01:06:14.840 --> 01:06:17.880 he asks, oh, by the way, and before I hang up, 01:06:18.019 --> 01:06:20.579 you didn't happen to see anything or anybody 01:06:20.579 --> 01:06:23.380 that seems out of place, like they don't belong 01:06:23.380 --> 01:06:26.599 there. Right when Professor Hawthorne asked Lily 01:06:26.599 --> 01:06:28.880 that question, she immediately thought about 01:06:28.880 --> 01:06:31.380 the guy who was sitting by himself and playing 01:06:31.380 --> 01:06:34.179 his video game on his phone. He didn't look like 01:06:34.179 --> 01:06:36.940 the other tourists. He wasn't wearing the same 01:06:36.940 --> 01:06:39.300 types of clothes the other tourists were wearing, 01:06:39.440 --> 01:06:41.920 and he seemed quite anxious and nervous about 01:06:41.920 --> 01:06:44.539 something. He also had an interesting tattoo 01:06:44.539 --> 01:06:48.579 on his wrist. Lily responded back to Hawthorne 01:06:48.579 --> 01:06:50.780 as she started to walk back to where the students 01:06:50.780 --> 01:06:54.309 were still sitting. Lily responded, there is 01:06:54.309 --> 01:06:57.929 this one guy I walked by. He's alone and acting 01:06:57.929 --> 01:07:01.550 a little off. He doesn't really fit in as a tourist 01:07:01.550 --> 01:07:04.610 or museum worker. He is sitting at one of the 01:07:04.610 --> 01:07:07.969 tables closest to the reception desk. Oh, and 01:07:07.969 --> 01:07:11.210 I almost forgot this part. He's got a tattoo 01:07:11.210 --> 01:07:14.449 on his wrist. It's off a cross with two dots 01:07:14.449 --> 01:07:17.630 above it. I thought it was interesting, as I've 01:07:17.630 --> 01:07:20.539 never seen one like that before. Just as Lily 01:07:20.539 --> 01:07:22.699 said that last thing, the shuttle bus arrived 01:07:22.699 --> 01:07:24.780 to pick up Hawthorne's group and several other 01:07:24.780 --> 01:07:27.380 tourists who were also waiting at the bus pickup 01:07:27.380 --> 01:07:30.199 spot in the park's main parking lot. Hawthorne 01:07:30.199 --> 01:07:32.579 made it a point to follow right behind David 01:07:32.579 --> 01:07:35.380 as the group loaded onto the shuttle bus. Hawthorne 01:07:35.380 --> 01:07:37.539 sat down next to David in one of the open seats 01:07:37.539 --> 01:07:41.599 and then said, Lily, we have a development. Don't 01:07:41.599 --> 01:07:44.969 approach that guy. We'll be there soon, so hang 01:07:44.969 --> 01:07:47.710 tight with the students. Hawthorne hung up the 01:07:47.710 --> 01:07:49.769 call with Lily and then said to David, who was 01:07:49.769 --> 01:07:51.730 sitting next to him, on the shuttle bus and said, 01:07:51.969 --> 01:07:54.969 David, didn't you say that the guy at the museum, 01:07:55.070 --> 01:07:57.650 the guy Ava caught on camera that night at the 01:07:57.650 --> 01:08:00.750 gala, had a tattoo of a cross with two dots on 01:08:00.750 --> 01:08:04.550 his wrist and that you recognized it? David, 01:08:04.610 --> 01:08:07.070 with a puzzled and concerned expression on his 01:08:07.070 --> 01:08:10.949 face, answers, Yes, why? Hawthorne answered, 01:08:11.090 --> 01:08:13.090 as Lily was going to see if there was something 01:08:13.090 --> 01:08:15.510 waiting at the reception desk for you, she walked 01:08:15.510 --> 01:08:18.229 past a suspicious looking guy and noticed he 01:08:18.229 --> 01:08:21.470 had that same tattoo on his wrist. David then 01:08:21.470 --> 01:08:25.329 says, okay, I guess that's to be expected. Hmm, 01:08:25.510 --> 01:08:28.350 so they have another lookout posted by the reception 01:08:28.350 --> 01:08:30.970 desk to see who comes to pick up the J jar they 01:08:30.970 --> 01:08:34.550 promised to give us? He continues, I'll go in 01:08:34.550 --> 01:08:36.949 and pick up the black bag. The rest of you go 01:08:36.949 --> 01:08:39.659 in first and then spread out. I'll come in last 01:08:39.659 --> 01:08:42.800 and go directly to the reception desk. The lookout 01:08:42.800 --> 01:08:45.260 will see me and then hopefully call back to his 01:08:45.260 --> 01:08:47.460 people to let them know I picked up the jay jar. 01:08:48.720 --> 01:08:51.399 Hawthorne then replies, Okay, we'll hang tight 01:08:51.399 --> 01:08:53.479 in the meantime. There's plenty of tourists around 01:08:53.479 --> 01:08:56.460 so we can blend in. As the shuttle bus enters 01:08:56.460 --> 01:08:58.939 the parking lot of the Grand Museum and as they 01:08:58.939 --> 01:09:01.140 all exit, Hawthorne and David share the plan 01:09:01.140 --> 01:09:03.949 with Miranda, Ava, and Tommy. The young park 01:09:03.949 --> 01:09:06.449 ranger then informed the group that he was heading 01:09:06.449 --> 01:09:08.689 directly over to his supervisor's office so they 01:09:08.689 --> 01:09:10.649 could then call the provincial police to get 01:09:10.649 --> 01:09:13.810 them involved. Hawthorne, Miranda, Ava, and Tommy 01:09:13.810 --> 01:09:16.350 all enter the Grand Museum together, avoid walking 01:09:16.350 --> 01:09:18.810 by the reception desk, and then spread out among 01:09:18.810 --> 01:09:20.710 the tourists that are mingling around in the 01:09:20.710 --> 01:09:24.069 food and market court area. David was going to 01:09:24.069 --> 01:09:26.449 wait about 10 minutes and then come in by himself 01:09:26.449 --> 01:09:28.550 and go right to the reception desk to pick up 01:09:28.550 --> 01:09:31.369 the bag. While Hawthorne and the others were 01:09:31.369 --> 01:09:33.770 pretending to blend in as tourists, Hawthorne 01:09:33.770 --> 01:09:36.109 noticed the guy Lily described on the phone sitting 01:09:36.109 --> 01:09:38.310 at a table still playing a game on his phone. 01:09:38.569 --> 01:09:41.170 He looked up every once in a while toward the 01:09:41.170 --> 01:09:43.130 reception desk, just like Lily had described. 01:09:43.670 --> 01:09:46.989 Hawthorne thought, this has to be the guy. Hawthorne 01:09:46.989 --> 01:09:48.970 then walked over to be close to where Tommy and 01:09:48.970 --> 01:09:51.750 Miranda were, Ava having already found Lily and 01:09:51.750 --> 01:09:53.649 the students some distance away and was sitting 01:09:53.649 --> 01:09:56.229 and talking with them. Hawthorne then said to 01:09:56.229 --> 01:09:59.260 Miranda and Tommy, what do you think? Tommy says, 01:09:59.460 --> 01:10:01.840 let's wait and see what happens. We can always 01:10:01.840 --> 01:10:04.960 alert one of the on -site security guards. I'll 01:10:04.960 --> 01:10:07.340 put money on it. That guy was one of the guys 01:10:07.340 --> 01:10:10.500 at the gala event the other night. Taller, thin, 01:10:10.659 --> 01:10:13.500 and has the same tattoo on his wrist. I mean, 01:10:13.579 --> 01:10:16.699 he fits the image Ava has of him on a camera. 01:10:17.520 --> 01:10:19.479 Well, Prof. Tommy, you'd win the bet because 01:10:19.479 --> 01:10:22.300 that is 100 % the guy at the gala event. He's 01:10:22.300 --> 01:10:23.920 probably the one who knocked out Mr. Garcia, 01:10:24.140 --> 01:10:32.170 Miranda says. As David was waiting to enter the 01:10:32.170 --> 01:10:34.569 Grand Museum, he texted a number of the person 01:10:34.569 --> 01:10:37.050 who was holding his brother, hoping to call their 01:10:37.050 --> 01:10:40.529 bluff. He wrote, As soon as I pick up the jade 01:10:40.529 --> 01:10:42.829 jar and it's confirmed, and you release my brother 01:10:42.829 --> 01:10:45.329 and confirm he's released, I'll tell you the 01:10:45.329 --> 01:10:47.850 exact location of the cenote where I found the 01:10:47.850 --> 01:10:50.390 golden mask. Please text back confirming you 01:10:50.390 --> 01:10:53.270 agree. David waited for a moment and then saw 01:10:53.270 --> 01:10:56.840 the text's response say, agree. Wow, that was 01:10:56.840 --> 01:11:00.220 fast, David thought to himself. So, David waited 01:11:00.220 --> 01:11:02.239 another few minutes and then walked through the 01:11:02.239 --> 01:11:04.699 front doors of the Grand Museum and directly 01:11:04.699 --> 01:11:07.520 over to the reception desk. He immediately saw 01:11:07.520 --> 01:11:09.319 the black bag just sitting there with the note 01:11:09.319 --> 01:11:12.500 attached. He then politely asked the receptionist 01:11:12.500 --> 01:11:14.680 if he could look at the note. He looked at the 01:11:14.680 --> 01:11:16.600 note, then showed the receptionist his photo 01:11:16.600 --> 01:11:19.979 ID with his name and picked up the bag. The bag 01:11:19.979 --> 01:11:22.340 was heavy for its size and seemed to feel correct. 01:11:23.020 --> 01:11:24.819 However, David was not the one who discovered 01:11:24.819 --> 01:11:28.020 and studied this artifact. Miranda was that person 01:11:28.020 --> 01:11:29.880 and she was somewhere among the tourists standing 01:11:29.880 --> 01:11:32.939 by. David also noticed that the zippers were 01:11:32.939 --> 01:11:36.279 zip -tied, so the only way to unzip the bag and 01:11:36.279 --> 01:11:39.300 look inside was to cut the zip ties. He assumed 01:11:39.300 --> 01:11:41.300 this was done to keep prying eyes from doing 01:11:41.300 --> 01:11:44.680 so. He reached into his side pants pocket, out 01:11:44.680 --> 01:11:47.180 of habit, to grab his favorite small folding 01:11:47.180 --> 01:11:49.680 pocket knife, the one he takes with him just 01:11:49.680 --> 01:11:52.460 about everywhere, and nothing. It wasn't there. 01:11:53.020 --> 01:11:55.359 Then he remembers that he left it back in Mexico 01:11:55.359 --> 01:11:58.260 City because they flew to Merida instead of driving. 01:11:58.600 --> 01:12:02.060 Hmm. He thinks to himself and asks the receptionist 01:12:02.060 --> 01:12:10.239 for a pair of scissors. Maria is getting antsy. 01:12:10.380 --> 01:12:12.960 She knows that the cartel member, the one that 01:12:12.960 --> 01:12:15.239 drove them to Chichen Itza, is waiting for a 01:12:15.239 --> 01:12:18.319 location of a cenote. She feels a sense of relief 01:12:18.319 --> 01:12:20.420 that they can finally hand over the guy they 01:12:20.420 --> 01:12:23.020 have had to keep quiet and alive and who's been 01:12:23.020 --> 01:12:26.319 stuck in the trunk for almost three hours. She 01:12:26.319 --> 01:12:29.020 doesn't want this guy to die. After all, he was 01:12:29.020 --> 01:12:31.399 their getaway driver after Carlos and Renata 01:12:31.399 --> 01:12:33.619 stole the artifacts from the big gala a few nights 01:12:33.619 --> 01:12:36.560 back. He was also much more friendly than the 01:12:36.560 --> 01:12:39.020 jerk cartel member who has been giving them commands 01:12:39.020 --> 01:12:42.279 all day, mostly to do what they're told. Maria 01:12:42.279 --> 01:12:44.579 turns around in the car and says to Renata, who 01:12:44.579 --> 01:12:46.579 is half asleep in the backseat of the car and 01:12:46.579 --> 01:12:49.439 says, shouldn't be much longer now. We are just 01:12:49.439 --> 01:12:51.979 waiting for the location of the cenote. We think 01:12:51.979 --> 01:12:54.119 the guy's brother, the guy in the trunk, his 01:12:54.119 --> 01:12:55.960 brother just picked up the black bag from the 01:12:55.960 --> 01:12:58.720 reception desk. Now, hopefully he won't open 01:12:58.720 --> 01:13:02.720 it right now. Gosh, I hope so, Maria, Renata 01:13:02.720 --> 01:13:06.460 says with a tired slur. We've been waiting forever 01:13:06.460 --> 01:13:10.180 in this hot car. Maria then responds, yeah, I'm 01:13:10.180 --> 01:13:12.319 ready to get out of this heat. Imagine how the 01:13:12.319 --> 01:13:15.279 guy in the trunk feels. All of a sudden, the 01:13:15.279 --> 01:13:17.399 cartel member looks over at Maria, gives her 01:13:17.399 --> 01:13:19.119 a thumbs up, and tells her to get rid of the 01:13:19.119 --> 01:13:21.399 guy in the trunk. He also tells her and Renata 01:13:21.399 --> 01:13:23.399 to get out, and they will have to find their 01:13:23.399 --> 01:13:26.199 own way back to Mexico City. He gives Maria some 01:13:26.199 --> 01:13:28.359 cash and then tells her to hurry so he can leave. 01:13:28.539 --> 01:13:30.640 Maria then tells Renata to get out of the car 01:13:30.640 --> 01:13:32.380 and to help her get the guy out of the trunk. 01:13:33.460 --> 01:13:35.619 The driver pops the trunk and Maria looks into 01:13:35.619 --> 01:13:37.340 the trunk at the guy who is just laying there, 01:13:37.439 --> 01:13:41.649 not moving. Both Aunt Maria and Renanta are now 01:13:41.649 --> 01:13:44.369 standing over the back of the trunk, lid open 01:13:44.369 --> 01:13:47.590 and looking at the guy just laying there. Renanta 01:13:47.590 --> 01:13:52.069 then asks, is he dead? Maria responds, I don't 01:13:52.069 --> 01:13:55.609 know. Then she says, pour some water on his face 01:13:55.609 --> 01:13:57.670 from your water bottle. Maybe he just passed 01:13:57.670 --> 01:14:01.329 out. As soon as Renanta poured some water onto 01:14:01.329 --> 01:14:04.550 the guy's face and head, he bolted up in a sitting 01:14:04.550 --> 01:14:07.510 position and asked where he was. It startled 01:14:07.510 --> 01:14:11.289 Renata so much she let out a faint scream and 01:14:11.289 --> 01:14:14.510 stepped back a few steps and then said, Oh, thank 01:14:14.510 --> 01:14:17.810 God goodness. We thought you were dead. The man 01:14:17.810 --> 01:14:20.189 shook his head, not really knowing what to say 01:14:20.189 --> 01:14:22.989 next. Maria then said, Get out of the trunk. 01:14:23.229 --> 01:14:26.050 You're free. Go over to the Grand Museum. You 01:14:26.050 --> 01:14:28.569 can get some food and water over there. Maria 01:14:28.569 --> 01:14:30.750 then points at a large building close to them 01:14:30.750 --> 01:14:33.750 and then says, Those are the main doors. You 01:14:33.750 --> 01:14:36.949 can go on over there. The man climbs out of the 01:14:36.949 --> 01:14:39.149 trunk and starts walking slowly toward the ground 01:14:39.149 --> 01:14:42.289 museum building some 100 yards away. Maria then 01:14:42.289 --> 01:14:44.689 looks at Renata and says, Thankfully, we are 01:14:44.689 --> 01:14:47.229 parked in the shady part back here. Otherwise, 01:14:47.489 --> 01:14:49.329 I'm not sure that guy who would have made it 01:14:49.329 --> 01:14:52.329 another hour in the trunk. At that moment, the 01:14:52.329 --> 01:14:54.449 cartel member who is still sitting in the driver's 01:14:54.449 --> 01:14:56.689 seat yells out the window and tells Maria to 01:14:56.689 --> 01:14:59.329 shut the trunk. Maria complies and shuts the 01:14:59.329 --> 01:15:02.069 trunk lid. All of a sudden, the car takes off, 01:15:02.189 --> 01:15:04.649 leaving Maria and her niece Renata just standing 01:15:04.649 --> 01:15:12.390 there all by themselves. David, knowing that 01:15:12.390 --> 01:15:14.510 his brother probably could not last much longer, 01:15:14.750 --> 01:15:16.930 finally texts the number again and tells the 01:15:16.930 --> 01:15:18.970 person on the other side that the golden mask 01:15:18.970 --> 01:15:21.449 was found in the cenote at the bottom inside 01:15:21.449 --> 01:15:25.069 of El Castillo. David also knew that it was only 01:15:25.069 --> 01:15:27.289 a matter of time before the other cartel member, 01:15:27.510 --> 01:15:29.880 the lookout, And the younger one that they had 01:15:29.880 --> 01:15:32.220 left in the pyramid were going to reconnect with 01:15:32.220 --> 01:15:34.699 the guy on the other side of this unknown number 01:15:34.699 --> 01:15:37.739 and probably find out that one of their own had 01:15:37.739 --> 01:15:40.300 probably drowned in the cenote and that he and 01:15:40.300 --> 01:15:43.479 his group had escaped. So, David took the gamble, 01:15:43.600 --> 01:15:45.720 even though he had not been able to get the zip 01:15:45.720 --> 01:15:48.039 ties cut from the black bag and look inside. 01:15:49.239 --> 01:15:51.199 Hawthorne, who was still mingling around close 01:15:51.199 --> 01:15:53.819 to where Tommy was, started noticing some museum 01:15:53.819 --> 01:15:56.500 security guards walking through the food court 01:15:56.500 --> 01:15:58.760 and market area in the direction of the reception 01:15:58.760 --> 01:16:01.819 desk, where David was still standing. Tommy walked 01:16:01.819 --> 01:16:04.739 closer to where Hawthorne is standing, next to 01:16:04.739 --> 01:16:07.039 a small t -shirt vendor display, and then says, 01:16:07.319 --> 01:16:10.479 James, are you seeing this? Those guys are headed 01:16:10.479 --> 01:16:13.470 towards David. Almost at the same moment, Miranda 01:16:13.470 --> 01:16:15.930 shows up next to Tommy and Hawthorne, not really 01:16:15.930 --> 01:16:17.789 caring if they are seen together, and then says, 01:16:17.989 --> 01:16:20.109 do you think they are after David? Hawthorne 01:16:20.109 --> 01:16:22.470 then says, I'm curious about that guy. He then 01:16:22.470 --> 01:16:24.869 softly points at the loner sitting by himself 01:16:24.869 --> 01:16:27.729 who keeps looking up towards David and then back 01:16:27.729 --> 01:16:30.609 down at his phone. The tall, thin guy is acting 01:16:30.609 --> 01:16:33.180 nervous and anxious about something. Hawthorne 01:16:33.180 --> 01:16:35.659 continues, from this distance it appears there 01:16:35.659 --> 01:16:37.920 is a tattoo on his wrist, though it's hard to 01:16:37.920 --> 01:16:40.699 make out what it is. However, Lily said it was 01:16:40.699 --> 01:16:43.380 a cross with two dots above it, which would match 01:16:43.380 --> 01:16:46.340 with Ava's photo proof. Miranda steps forward 01:16:46.340 --> 01:16:48.479 a bit closer to try and see if she can get a 01:16:48.479 --> 01:16:50.239 better look at the tattoo on the guy's wrist. 01:16:50.420 --> 01:16:53.260 She notices that he receives a text, stops playing 01:16:53.260 --> 01:16:55.659 his video game, answers the text, and then looks 01:16:55.659 --> 01:16:58.960 up towards David, and then texts back. Hmm, interesting. 01:16:59.340 --> 01:17:01.600 Miranda thinks to herself. She looks back at 01:17:01.600 --> 01:17:03.880 both Prof. Tommy and Professor Hawthorne to see 01:17:03.880 --> 01:17:05.800 if they noticed the same thing. They must have 01:17:05.800 --> 01:17:07.680 as they were both moving closer to where she 01:17:07.680 --> 01:17:10.279 was now standing. The security guards, now four 01:17:10.279 --> 01:17:12.859 of them, were walking very slowly. Miranda could 01:17:12.859 --> 01:17:15.279 tell that their attention was not on David. She 01:17:15.279 --> 01:17:17.500 felt a sense of relief. She noticed their attention 01:17:17.500 --> 01:17:20.039 was now on the guy playing on his phone. Tommy 01:17:20.039 --> 01:17:23.180 says softly to Harbon and Miranda as he watches 01:17:23.180 --> 01:17:26.569 the same thing unfolding. Well, Maybe our little 01:17:26.569 --> 01:17:28.970 Pog Ranger friend is coming through for us now. 01:17:29.489 --> 01:17:31.789 Those security guards look serious, even though 01:17:31.789 --> 01:17:34.609 they can only carry stun guns. Hawthorne replies, 01:17:34.930 --> 01:17:37.130 let's hang back and see what happens. All of 01:17:37.130 --> 01:17:39.710 a sudden, they see David a short distance away 01:17:39.710 --> 01:17:42.289 from where the guy is on his phone, sitting at 01:17:42.289 --> 01:17:44.229 the table looking up and walking toward another 01:17:44.229 --> 01:17:47.250 guy coming at him. Hawthorne, Tommy, and Miranda 01:17:47.250 --> 01:17:50.710 see David give the guy a big hug and then say 01:17:50.710 --> 01:17:53.489 a bunch of stuff to him. None of them could make 01:17:53.489 --> 01:17:55.670 out what David was saying, but knew that the 01:17:55.670 --> 01:17:58.569 other guy had to be David's brother by the reaction 01:17:58.569 --> 01:18:02.329 they were witnessing. At this same time, Hawthorne, 01:18:02.329 --> 01:18:05.069 Tommy, and Miranda were also watching what was 01:18:05.069 --> 01:18:07.909 going on with the security guards and the mysterious 01:18:07.909 --> 01:18:11.369 guy at the table Lily had alerted them to. The 01:18:11.369 --> 01:18:13.649 three of them were like spectators watching two 01:18:13.649 --> 01:18:17.010 scenes play out a mere 30 feet away as tourists 01:18:17.010 --> 01:18:19.909 and vendors walked about oblivious to the upcoming 01:18:19.909 --> 01:18:22.210 action that was about to happen. The security 01:18:22.210 --> 01:18:24.689 guards were closer now to the guy who was still 01:18:24.689 --> 01:18:26.949 sitting down at the table looking down at his 01:18:26.949 --> 01:18:29.550 phone. There was one table, a few chairs, and 01:18:29.550 --> 01:18:31.850 two tourists between the four security guards 01:18:31.850 --> 01:18:34.689 and him. All of a sudden, the man at the table 01:18:34.689 --> 01:18:37.130 stopped his game and glanced up toward David. 01:18:37.270 --> 01:18:45.020 And then it happened. Carlos was tired of playing 01:18:45.020 --> 01:18:48.100 his video game and was tired of babysitting this 01:18:48.100 --> 01:18:50.640 black bag which had the rock in it. He was still 01:18:50.640 --> 01:18:52.619 convinced that the plan with the rock was not 01:18:52.619 --> 01:18:54.720 going to work. These people were way smarter 01:18:54.720 --> 01:18:57.840 than that. He had come to a place where he really 01:18:57.840 --> 01:19:01.100 didn't care anymore at this point. He was just 01:19:01.100 --> 01:19:03.380 hoping to get their final payout from their heist 01:19:03.380 --> 01:19:06.340 back in Mexico City. He hadn't been paying much 01:19:06.340 --> 01:19:09.979 attention to the reception desk area after texting 01:19:09.979 --> 01:19:13.569 his aunt Maria. His aunt watched him to wait 01:19:13.569 --> 01:19:15.590 there and confirmed two things before he was 01:19:15.590 --> 01:19:17.970 able to leave and come join them outside further 01:19:17.970 --> 01:19:21.289 down the road where she had secured them a taxi 01:19:21.289 --> 01:19:24.590 ride back to Merida. First, he needed to see 01:19:24.590 --> 01:19:26.909 if the guy who picked up the black bag was able 01:19:26.909 --> 01:19:30.069 to get inside of it, which, as Carlos could tell, 01:19:30.229 --> 01:19:32.210 he hadn't been able to cut through the zip ties 01:19:32.210 --> 01:19:35.909 on the zipper yet. Then, second, Carlos needed 01:19:35.909 --> 01:19:38.789 to watch and see if the guy they had put in the 01:19:38.789 --> 01:19:41.029 trunk of their car was going to walk in through 01:19:41.029 --> 01:19:43.029 the main doors and connect with the guy holding 01:19:43.029 --> 01:19:46.010 the black bag. As soon as the second thing happened, 01:19:46.149 --> 01:19:49.850 he could leave, hopefully unnoticed. Carlos had 01:19:49.850 --> 01:19:52.369 a secret he was proud of, and he was hoping his 01:19:52.369 --> 01:19:54.449 aunt and sister would be proud of him as well. 01:19:54.890 --> 01:19:57.710 There were two identical old gym bags in the 01:19:57.710 --> 01:20:00.430 back of the car on the floor. When Carlos and 01:20:00.430 --> 01:20:02.890 Renata had swapped out the rock for the jade 01:20:02.890 --> 01:20:05.149 jar, They put the jade jar in one of the old 01:20:05.149 --> 01:20:07.630 gym bags and Carlos had put some other rocks 01:20:07.630 --> 01:20:11.449 in the other old gym bag. Well, when Carlos got 01:20:11.449 --> 01:20:13.949 out of the car to go stake out the reception 01:20:13.949 --> 01:20:16.970 desk in the museum, he grabbed the old gym bag 01:20:16.970 --> 01:20:20.250 with the jade jar and took it with him. He left 01:20:20.250 --> 01:20:22.590 the other old gym bag in the back seat on the 01:20:22.590 --> 01:20:26.029 floor, the one with the rocks in it. Renata didn't 01:20:26.029 --> 01:20:27.970 even see him doing all of that. He was pretty 01:20:27.970 --> 01:20:35.289 proud to have fooled all of them. Hawthorne, 01:20:35.289 --> 01:20:37.649 Tommy, and Miranda were nervously watching both 01:20:37.649 --> 01:20:40.210 scenes in front of them. They were bystanders 01:20:40.210 --> 01:20:41.750 just standing there and waiting for something 01:20:41.750 --> 01:20:44.189 to happen. What were the security guards going 01:20:44.189 --> 01:20:46.569 to do with the guy at the table? How was David 01:20:46.569 --> 01:20:49.229 and his brother going to react? All of a sudden, 01:20:49.229 --> 01:20:51.149 the thin, tall guy who was just sitting at the 01:20:51.149 --> 01:20:53.310 table playing on his phone stands up abruptly 01:20:53.310 --> 01:20:55.630 and looks towards where David and his brother 01:20:55.630 --> 01:20:58.069 are standing and talking. The table guy then 01:20:58.069 --> 01:21:00.670 bends over, grabs something, maybe a bag, from 01:21:00.670 --> 01:21:02.789 the chair that was sitting next to him. The bag 01:21:02.789 --> 01:21:04.529 he grabbed was out of sight, so it was a bit 01:21:04.529 --> 01:21:06.289 alarming for him to stand up quickly and grab 01:21:06.289 --> 01:21:08.930 the bag, almost in a threatening way. This all 01:21:08.930 --> 01:21:11.329 happened in a quick set of movements, which triggered 01:21:11.329 --> 01:21:14.310 Miranda into defense mode. All she saw was this 01:21:14.310 --> 01:21:18.350 stranger bend over and either reach into an old 01:21:18.350 --> 01:21:21.310 bag or grab the bag. This made her think of the 01:21:21.310 --> 01:21:24.149 worst possibility. Before she knew what had happened 01:21:24.149 --> 01:21:27.329 and why, she yelled out, David! She said it loud 01:21:27.329 --> 01:21:29.350 enough that most of the tourists and shop owners 01:21:29.350 --> 01:21:32.010 in close proximity to her, Professor Hawthorne, 01:21:32.050 --> 01:21:34.170 and Prof. Tommy all stopped and looked over at 01:21:34.170 --> 01:21:36.649 her. So did David and his brother, some distance 01:21:36.649 --> 01:21:39.670 away. So did the tall and skinny Mexican guy 01:21:39.670 --> 01:21:41.529 who was now standing up straight and looking 01:21:41.529 --> 01:21:45.489 directly at her, as if to say, who are you? Hawthorne 01:21:45.489 --> 01:21:47.369 watched as David and his brother stood still 01:21:47.369 --> 01:21:50.289 while looking over at Miranda, then over at a 01:21:50.289 --> 01:21:52.909 guy Miranda was pointing at. The guy was holding 01:21:52.909 --> 01:21:55.439 an old, worn -out sports bag in one hand. and 01:21:55.439 --> 01:21:57.840 his cell phone in the other. Hawthorne then noticed 01:21:57.840 --> 01:22:00.479 that the guy then turned his attention away from 01:22:00.479 --> 01:22:02.760 Miranda, turned his head slightly more to the 01:22:02.760 --> 01:22:05.239 left, and was then staring directly into the 01:22:05.239 --> 01:22:07.939 eyes of the museum security guards, all four 01:22:07.939 --> 01:22:10.500 of them. Most of the people around their general 01:22:10.500 --> 01:22:13.819 location were now sitting or standing still and 01:22:13.819 --> 01:22:15.859 waiting and watching to see if a confrontation 01:22:15.859 --> 01:22:18.500 was about to erupt between the security guards 01:22:18.500 --> 01:22:26.600 and the guy whose attention they were on. Carlos 01:22:26.600 --> 01:22:29.359 felt trapped, a little nervous and unsure of 01:22:29.359 --> 01:22:31.939 what he should do. There were four security guards 01:22:31.939 --> 01:22:34.239 looking at him. Carlos knew he could take them 01:22:34.239 --> 01:22:37.949 all on at one time if he had to and win. He was 01:22:37.949 --> 01:22:40.689 confident in his ability to fight. He was skinny 01:22:40.689 --> 01:22:44.090 and tall, but he was scrappy. He'd been in street 01:22:44.090 --> 01:22:46.750 fights before and usually came out on top because 01:22:46.750 --> 01:22:49.329 his opponents would underestimate his survival 01:22:49.329 --> 01:22:53.050 ability. So he stood there waiting for the four 01:22:53.050 --> 01:22:55.789 losers to make the first move. He slowly slipped 01:22:55.789 --> 01:22:58.029 his mobile phone in his pocket and then gripped 01:22:58.029 --> 01:23:01.609 the old gym bag even tighter. Carlos yells out 01:23:01.609 --> 01:23:03.949 to the security guys, are you guys just going 01:23:03.949 --> 01:23:07.760 to stand there? Then, without hesitation, one 01:23:07.760 --> 01:23:10.239 of the security guards pulls out a non -lethal 01:23:10.239 --> 01:23:12.840 taser. That's when Carlos, who had been tased 01:23:12.840 --> 01:23:15.600 before, decides not to hang around any longer. 01:23:15.939 --> 01:23:18.079 He pushes the table he'd been sitting at towards 01:23:18.079 --> 01:23:20.800 all four of the guards, grabs a chair, and throws 01:23:20.800 --> 01:23:24.739 it at them, and then turns around and sprints 01:23:24.739 --> 01:23:28.149 towards the front main doors. Carlos knows that 01:23:28.149 --> 01:23:30.310 if he can get outside, he can probably outrun 01:23:30.310 --> 01:23:33.609 them, meet up with Maria and Renata, and then 01:23:33.609 --> 01:23:36.270 get away. David watches as the security guards 01:23:36.270 --> 01:23:38.869 lunge forward, stumble around the table and chairs, 01:23:39.090 --> 01:23:40.829 but cannot get to the guy they were standing 01:23:40.829 --> 01:23:43.449 by fast enough before he was running toward the 01:23:43.449 --> 01:23:45.649 front main doors his brother had just walked 01:23:45.649 --> 01:23:48.949 in through. This kid, the one the security guards 01:23:48.949 --> 01:23:51.789 were now trying to run after, was fast. David 01:23:51.789 --> 01:23:54.409 knew that there was no security guards who were 01:23:54.409 --> 01:23:56.739 going to catch him. Three of the guards were 01:23:56.739 --> 01:23:58.479 overweight and were already starting to show 01:23:58.479 --> 01:24:01.079 signs of fatigue. And the fourth guard looked 01:24:01.079 --> 01:24:04.159 to be in his late 50s or early 60s. As the tall 01:24:04.159 --> 01:24:06.439 skinny guy ran past David and his brother David 01:24:06.439 --> 01:24:09.380 saw, clear as day, the tattoo on the guy's wrist. 01:24:09.960 --> 01:24:12.159 As the security guys were now getting closer 01:24:12.159 --> 01:24:15.560 to where David was standing, looking disheveled 01:24:15.560 --> 01:24:18.300 and fatigued already, they returned and ran after 01:24:18.300 --> 01:24:21.319 the guy right out the front doors. Miranda, Hawthorne, 01:24:21.359 --> 01:24:23.720 and Tommy fast walked toward the front main doors 01:24:23.720 --> 01:24:25.960 and watched as David ran after the guy through 01:24:25.960 --> 01:24:28.340 the parking lot and then chased him onto a small 01:24:28.340 --> 01:24:31.180 patch of sand and grass which was close to the 01:24:31.180 --> 01:24:33.640 museum's property line. They all watched as David 01:24:33.640 --> 01:24:35.720 caught up with the guy and then tackled him football 01:24:35.720 --> 01:24:38.180 style onto the grassy area just off the side 01:24:38.180 --> 01:24:40.239 of the parking lot. four security guards were 01:24:40.239 --> 01:24:42.439 not far behind, huffing and puffing as they approached 01:24:42.439 --> 01:24:44.039 the two men who were now struggling together 01:24:44.039 --> 01:24:46.199 on the ground. At that point, Miranda started 01:24:46.199 --> 01:24:48.420 running toward them, with Professor Hawthorne 01:24:48.420 --> 01:24:50.439 and Professor Tommy falling behind her. They 01:24:50.439 --> 01:24:52.140 all watched as two of the four security guards 01:24:52.140 --> 01:24:53.939 got closer to where David and this other guy 01:24:53.939 --> 01:24:55.720 were, still wrestling together on the ground. 01:24:56.000 --> 01:24:57.920 The two guards had their tasers out and pointing 01:24:57.920 --> 01:24:59.720 at the two men on the ground rolling and then 01:24:59.720 --> 01:25:02.039 pulled the triggers. Four darts with wires streamed 01:25:02.039 --> 01:25:04.159 out from the two guns. One struck David and the 01:25:04.159 --> 01:25:06.479 other three darts and wires struck the guy David 01:25:06.479 --> 01:25:15.979 was trying to subdue. The thin, tall David, kneeling 01:25:15.979 --> 01:25:18.319 down and holding the guy he was chasing in the 01:25:18.319 --> 01:25:20.460 sleeper headlock, felt the shock of both stun 01:25:20.460 --> 01:25:22.829 guns as well. He fell to the ground right next 01:25:22.829 --> 01:25:24.609 to the other guy who was completely unconscious. 01:25:25.310 --> 01:25:28.149 David did not lose consciousness. As David lay 01:25:28.149 --> 01:25:29.970 there, he looked over at the other guy whose 01:25:29.970 --> 01:25:32.210 eyes were closed and laying there, right next 01:25:32.210 --> 01:25:34.810 to him. He was breathing heavily and had a pleasant 01:25:34.810 --> 01:25:37.430 look on his face, like he just fell asleep for 01:25:37.430 --> 01:25:40.630 his afternoon siesta. David watched as the security 01:25:40.630 --> 01:25:43.609 guards who had just tased them were now zip -tying 01:25:43.609 --> 01:25:46.090 the unconscious guy's hands and feet. David then 01:25:46.090 --> 01:25:48.109 sat up, trying to shake off the fact that he 01:25:48.109 --> 01:25:50.979 was just unintentionally taste. Notices Miranda, 01:25:51.319 --> 01:25:53.899 Professor Hawthorne, and Prof. Tommy arriving 01:25:53.899 --> 01:25:56.699 on the scene and asking if he was okay. As Miranda, 01:25:56.899 --> 01:25:58.779 Tommy, and David were talking with the security 01:25:58.779 --> 01:26:00.880 guards, all four of them were now on the scene. 01:26:01.020 --> 01:26:03.279 Hawthorne picked up the old sports bag that the 01:26:03.279 --> 01:26:05.819 guy had dropped when David tackled him. The object 01:26:05.819 --> 01:26:07.800 in the bag was heavy, so Hawthorne opened the 01:26:07.800 --> 01:26:11.039 bag, and what do you know? To his surprise, there 01:26:11.039 --> 01:26:13.300 in the old smelly sports bag was the jade jar. 01:26:13.680 --> 01:26:15.859 Hawthorne quickly zipped the bag back up just 01:26:15.859 --> 01:26:17.880 as the provincial police showed up in one of 01:26:17.880 --> 01:26:20.680 their trucks with lights flashing. Hawthorne 01:26:20.680 --> 01:26:22.939 slowly retreats from the scene, bag in hand, 01:26:23.039 --> 01:26:25.199 and stands a short distance away. He watches 01:26:25.199 --> 01:26:27.539 as the provincial police question the security 01:26:27.539 --> 01:26:30.420 guards, then David, then Miranda, and Tommy. 01:26:30.579 --> 01:26:33.039 By this time, the guy who David had tackled, 01:26:33.079 --> 01:26:35.800 they come to find out later that his name was 01:26:35.800 --> 01:26:39.319 Carlos Emanuel Rodriguez. Well, he was somewhat 01:26:39.319 --> 01:26:42.020 awake now and talking. Hawthorne watched as he 01:26:42.020 --> 01:26:43.939 was put in the back of the police truck to wait. 01:26:44.420 --> 01:26:46.600 One of the police officers pulled out a utility 01:26:46.600 --> 01:26:48.600 knife from the truck and then cut the zip ties 01:26:48.600 --> 01:26:50.779 on the black bag that was sitting on the ground 01:26:50.779 --> 01:26:52.939 where David had dropped it right before tackling 01:26:52.939 --> 01:26:55.060 the guy. The police officer reached into the 01:26:55.060 --> 01:26:57.420 bag, pulled out a heavy object, wrapped a newspaper, 01:26:57.739 --> 01:27:00.340 looked at it, then removed the newspaper to reveal 01:27:00.340 --> 01:27:03.539 just rock. Hawthorne thought to himself as he 01:27:03.539 --> 01:27:05.659 looked down at the old sports bag he was carrying 01:27:05.659 --> 01:27:08.880 and then said to himself, well, luck has looked 01:27:08.880 --> 01:27:11.470 down on us twice today. And the secret Mayan 01:27:11.470 --> 01:27:19.510 treasure location is still a secret. Renanta 01:27:19.510 --> 01:27:23.289 exhales and yawns and then asks, Aunt Maria, 01:27:23.430 --> 01:27:26.149 how much longer do we have to wait? She says 01:27:26.149 --> 01:27:29.010 this as she leans against the side of the taxi. 01:27:29.630 --> 01:27:32.510 She and her aunt have been waiting for well over 01:27:32.510 --> 01:27:35.550 30 minutes for Carlos to meet them there so they 01:27:35.550 --> 01:27:38.590 can all get a ride back to Merida. Maria looks 01:27:38.590 --> 01:27:41.489 up at Renata. She too is getting a little frustrated 01:27:41.489 --> 01:27:43.869 and irritated that Carlos hasn't met them yet. 01:27:44.010 --> 01:27:46.710 Maria answers Renata, he'll be here, we just 01:27:46.710 --> 01:27:48.890 need to wait. No sooner did she say this when 01:27:48.890 --> 01:27:50.729 they see a police truck coming toward them on 01:27:50.729 --> 01:27:53.149 the road, obviously leaving the park. It all 01:27:53.149 --> 01:27:55.909 happened in slow motion. As Maria and Renata 01:27:55.909 --> 01:27:58.310 watch the police truck drive by, they smile at 01:27:58.310 --> 01:28:00.229 the two police officers sitting in the cab and 01:28:00.229 --> 01:28:01.909 notice that there's someone sitting in the back 01:28:01.909 --> 01:28:04.789 bed of the truck. Maria and Renata lock eyes 01:28:04.789 --> 01:28:07.750 with the person as the truck drives by. It's 01:28:07.750 --> 01:28:23.170 Carlos. And that ends part seven. Stay tuned 01:28:23.170 --> 01:28:25.569 for next week as we bring you part eight in our 01:28:25.569 --> 01:28:40.550 continuing story, Legends of the Yucatan. As 01:28:40.550 --> 01:28:42.510 we end this episode, we want to thank you for 01:28:42.510 --> 01:28:44.710 joining us for this important conversation about 01:28:44.710 --> 01:28:47.859 navigating college financial aid. We hope today's 01:28:47.859 --> 01:28:50.319 insights help you make informed decisions and 01:28:50.319 --> 01:28:53.819 feel more confident about your next steps. Remember, 01:28:54.020 --> 01:28:55.979 planning early and staying informed can make 01:28:55.979 --> 01:28:58.659 all the difference. And make sure you join us 01:28:58.659 --> 01:29:01.479 next week as we bring you part eight in our continuing 01:29:01.479 --> 01:29:04.659 adventure story, Legends of the Yucatan. And 01:29:04.659 --> 01:29:07.039 as always, this podcast would not be possible 01:29:07.039 --> 01:29:09.560 without the hard work and support of our international 01:29:09.560 --> 01:29:11.920 student production team. All music and sound 01:29:11.920 --> 01:29:14.539 effects are courtesy of Pixabay .com, a vibrant 01:29:14.539 --> 01:29:16.760 community of creatives sharing copyright -free 01:29:16.760 --> 01:29:19.699 images, videos, and music. And we are signing 01:29:19.699 --> 01:29:22.640 off until next time. We are Students Incorporated, 01:29:22.680 --> 01:29:24.199 because your voice matters.