Documentary about low-income students screens Sept. 23

In “Personal Statement,” follow three high-school seniors defying the odds on their college paths

Karoline Jiménez, a senior at a public high school in Brooklyn, began her personal statement for her college applications with the question: "How do you endure harassment at school when you are awoken at night by a shouting, drunk dad?"

In the award-winning, feature-length documentary Personal Statement, filmmakers follow Jiménez and two other students through their senior year and into college. The students work tirelessly on their own college paths—and also serve as peer college counselors to their classmates. This inspiring film shows their struggles and stumbles, as well as their refusal to succumb to the barriers that prevent so many low-income students from attending and graduating from college.

The film screens on Monday, Sept. 23 from 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. in the Hill Library Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Watch a trailer for Personal Statement here and read a review in the Burlington Free Press.

This screening is a co-presentation between the NC State University Libraries and the NC State TRIO Programs.