Meet Brianne Smith Hard-working senior with Prepaid Plan escapes "sinking into debt" blues Age: 21 Hometown: Stuart College life: Senior, advertising major and member of the Ad Society at University of Florida.
A baby once upon a time, Brianne is now a University of Florida senior.

Who purchased your Florida Prepaid College Plan? “My dad purchased the plan for me because it offered a fixed cost and reasonable price, and it guaranteed that we would be able to pay for college and remain debt free.” Why Andrew, Brianne’s father, bought a Prepaid Plan: “It insured college tuition for both of my children at a price that was affordable.” How has having a Prepaid Plan benefited you? “Florida Prepaid pays my tuition, and my Bright Futures scholarship helps me pay rent and other costs associated with attending college.” How expensive is college? “Books are anywhere from $300 to $500 a semester, depending on course loads. Tuition usually averages about $1,200 a semester, and food is about $200 a month and that’s budgeting!” Do you have a job? “Yes, I work for the University of Florida’s Shands Hospital in pathology. I need money to pay bills associated with living (utilities, Internet, cable, rent), to buy food and a little for spending.” Brianne’s future plans: Work at an advertising agency. Other family members with a Prepaid Plan: “My sister and stepbrother, both 19.” Her father’s advice to potential Prepaid Plan customers: “I would recommend it to anyone. It’s a wonderful program.”

	Meet Cecilie Greene No Undergraduate Debt with a Prepaid College Plan Puts Medical School In Her Future Age: 24 Hometown: Miami College life: Earned a bachelor’s degree in child development from Florida State University. She’s continuing at the university in the pre-medicine graduate program.

Who purchased your Florida Prepaid College Plan? “My parents. They bought it for me back when I was in second grade. It spread out the cost of college over many years.” Cecilie’s future plans:: Become a pediatrician in a rural area. Other family members with a Prepaid Plan: “My sister.” How has having a Florida Prepaid Plan benefited you? “Coming out of undergrad debt free, I didn’t have to worry about looking for a job right away to pay off loans. Some of my peers are worrying about what they are going to do their fourth year of medical school. They came in with loans from undergrad and will reach the limit on government loans.” Did you graduate debt free? “Yes I did. I (also) had private scholarships and Bright Futures.” Why her mother Addie said she bought her children a Prepaid College Plan? “We decided to purchase the Florida Prepaid College Plan because it was a guaranteed college tuition plan. It was an easy way to put money aside.” Her mom’s advice: “We have recommended the plan to anyone who would listen and had children.”

Frank in his baby years, and later earning his college diploma

Meet Frank Zwanink A Prepaid Plan helped this UF student graduate debt free Age: 24 Hometown: Miami College life: Earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from University of Florida in 2004; presently working on an online MBA degree with a real estate focus from Florida State University.

Who purchased your Florida Prepaid College Plan? “My parents. They wanted to lock in the price of college when they bought it for me back when I was in second grade, and because it would also spread out the cost of college over many years.”Why Theresa, his mother, said she bought him a Prepaid Plan: “So he wouldn’t have to take out loans to pay for college. A college education is truly the last big gift a parent gives their child as part of growing up.”How expensive was attending college? Frank’s college bills ran about $6,700 a semester, including $2,000 for housing, $1,500 for tuition, $700 a month for basics like food and $400 for textbooks.Did you graduate from UF debt-free? “Yes.”Frank’s future plans: Employment with an investment banking firm or a job in real estate.Other family members with a Prepaid Plan: “My sister.”His mom’s advice : “I recommend the Florida Prepaid College Plan to anyone I know with a child. It’s a great investment. The younger you start, the cheaper it is.”

Meet Edward “Eddie” Borrego Age: 20 Hometown: Miami College life: Junior in political science and international affairs at Florida State University. Active in Student Government Association, Hispanic Student Union; served as student representative on FSU Association of American Universities’ Accreditation Committee. Received FSU presidential award. Has full-time job of special assistant to deputy chief of staff in office of Governor Charlie Crist.

Who purchased your Florida Prepaid College Plan? “My mom. My mom and dad don’t have a degree, my mom is from Guatemala and my dad is from Cuba. Thank God, she did.” Why did his mother purchase a Florida Prepaid College Plan for Borrego and his brother? When you’re from another country and you weren’t able to get an education, the main thing when you get here is for the kids to get an education. You come here for the dream, and education is the way to get ahead.” Borrego said his mother often said, “Anything you have they can take in a minute, but an education is always with you." Will he graduate from college debt-free? “I haven’t had debt. I haven’t had to take out a loan. I’m 99 percent sure I won’t have debt.” Eddie’s future plans? “I’m interested in going to law school. I’ve always kind of wanted to be a judge.” Thoughts on the Florida Prepaid College Plan? “I knew I always had prepaid to back me up. I don’t know how anyone would not benefit from the program. It freezes the cost of college at the rate you purchase it. Parents feel (college) is so far away. But it comes sooner, rather than later, and the sooner you get (a prepaid plan) the more you save.”

In the Halverson family, mom Sharon is passing along the Prepaid tradition to her 2-year-old son.

Meet Sharon (Yerkes) Halverson Two Generations of Florida Prepaid..... I am currently a 32-year-old Neonatal Nurse Practitioner living in the Washington D. C. area (hometown Ft. Myers, FL). I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Florida in 1997 and my Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Florida in 2001. My parents enrolled me in the Florida Prepaid program when it was in it's infancy in 1988. It was one of the best investments they ever made. Neither my parents nor I incurred any college debt, and I was able to start my professional life with a financially clean slate. Not having college debt also enabled me to pursue my graduate degree (I probably wouldn't have ever gone back for my Master's if I had loan debt).

By not having to dig myself out of debt I was able to save money and was able to build a stable financial foundation. This has allowed me the freedom of being able to stay home and raise my son. My life is truly changed and better because of the Prepaid Program.

Because of my appreciation and adoration of the Prepaid Program, one of the first things I did after my son was born was to enroll him in the program, so he to will have the same benefits and jump-start on life that I had (not to mention the financial benefit it will be for my husband and I to lock into today's tuition prices!).

I have always sung the praises of the program and now I am urging others to enroll their young children who are now the second generation of the Florida Prepaid Program.

Twins Shane and Kayla are first graders with Florida Prepaid College Plans

Meet Shane and Kayla Six-year-old twins Shane and Kayla are off to first grade in Tallahassee this school year, and their parents have just finished five years of paying for their Florida Prepaid College Plans. “It was a little scary at first, thinking about that amount for five years with twins,” said Kari Pichard a dental hygienist, who’s almost paid off a separate plan for her youngest son Ryan. “But now it’s done, and we don’t have to worry about it. We did budget for it. We’re really glad we did it.”

Leroy Floyd in his doctor’s coat at FSU’s College of Medicine campus

Meet Leroy Cordero Floyd III After Graduating Debt Free with Prepaid College Plan, He’s Studying Hard at FSU College of Medicine Hometown: Fort Pierce (originally from Tallahassee) College life: Leroy graduated from Florida State University and returned to the university to attend the College of Medicine. After graduation, Leroy plans on becoming an anesthesiologist. According to his College of Medicine profile, Leroy Floyd wants to become a doctor to help care for underserved communities. Leroy witnessed conditions in underprivileged communities on mission trips to Guyana, South America, where he helped provide health and educational resources through HERG (Health and Educational Relief to Guyana), the group for which he volunteers. Leroy also has volunteered at Boggy Creek Gang Camp and the Education and Technology 2000 Program.

Who purchased your Florida Prepaid College Plan?“My parents.” Why did they decide to purchase the plan? “The Prepaid Plan helped my parents off set the cost of college.” Did you graduate debt free? “I did graduate debt free.” What was your undergraduate degree? “I majored in biology with a minor in chemistry. I also majored in secondary science education. I graduated with both degrees.” How has having Florida Prepaid benefited you? “Having the Florida Prepaid Plan has enabled me to enter medical school virtually debt free from student loans. It also allowed my parents during my undergraduate career to assist me in different educational and social opportunities.” Does anyone else in your family have the Florida Prepaid Plan? “Yes, my cousin.” Did your parents purchase any of the other plans available? “They also purchased a 2-year dormitory plan for me to stay on campus.” Why his mother Bernadette bought him the Florida Prepaid Plan: “I decided to purchase the prepaid plan for my son to ensure the cost of college tuition at a rate when the plan was purchased.” Approximately at what age did you purchase the Florida Prepaid Plan for your son? “We purchased the plan when it first came out. I believe my son was between seven and nine years old.” Has Bernadette recommended the plan to friends or family? “Yes, we have recommended the plan to family members.”

This is our proud day, April 30, 2005

Meet Don and Barb Ferguson I just wanted to send a quick thank you for setting up the Florida Prepaid College Plan. We bought the plan for our daughter the very first year it came out. She's now graduated from the University of Florida and working as an executive for a Fortune 500 company in New York City. We always told her that it was not, "If you are going to college, but where you're going to college." That strategy makes a huge difference in how you talk to your kids about college. That might even be a great advertising campaign for your program. Neither my husband nor I were able to finish college, so to have our daughter finish made a dream come true for us.

Meet Erin Jenkins Pagan I was a participant in the Florida Prepaid program. My father started the program for me when I was in middle school (probably somewhere around the same time the program began) and by the time I was in high school, my college tuition and one year of dorm were paid for. My father says to this day that he could not have afforded to pay for all of my college expenses at one time had he not taken advantage of the Florida Prepaid program. Already having tuition and dorm paid for allowed my parents to pay for my books and living expenses, so that I could take a full load of classes, concentrate on school and not have to work. That was the deal, as long as I maintained a certain GPA and graduated within four years, which I did. I enrolled in August 1994 and graduated in August of 1998 from the University of Florida's College of Journalism & Communication with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and debt free!"

"This was the biggest gift my parents could have given me. (Note: I also went back to UF in 2000 and worked full time in Jacksonville while enrolled in the Master's program in the College of Journalism. In December 2003, I received a Master of Arts in Mass Communication, courtesy of my former employer.)"

“I am now a Senior Manager of Integrated Marketing Communications for Creative Touch Interiors, a $1 billion national company. I live in Orlando, Fla., with my husband (Joe) and our son (Jackson). We enrolled Jackson this past enrollment period, as an infant, in the Florida Prepaid program. In addition to four years of tuition and one year of dorm, we also included four years of local fees and are contributing monthly to the 529 plan, so there will be an account to help pay for books and living expenses, as well. My parents made the first significant contributions to begin making the monthly payments to the program. We celebrated Jackson's first birthday on 9/20/07, and we (parents & grandparents) are thrilled to give him the same gift my parents gave me. I hope this is a story that will inspire other parents to participate in the program.”