COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Viet Ha grew up in Brenham after his family immigrated to Texas from South Vietnam. Paying for college, he knew, would always fall on him.
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"My mom and dad were making, I think, 7 or 8 an hour."
"I mean, combined, I think they were making $40,000 a year."
Ha first attended Texas A&M in the late 2000s, but after struggling academically, he eventually had to leave.
"I paid in cash for the first two years, but I failed out because I was gaming too much."
Years later, he came back determined to finish his degree — bartending at Northgate while taking 18 credit hours every semester. Working while in school helped him graduate without student debt.
"It's amazing because nowadays, if you're burdened with like 50k to 100k worth of debt after you graduate, it's hard to start a life," Ha said.
He's not alone. According to a recent university report, 63% of Texas A&M students graduate without debt, helped by scholarships, financial aid, and programs like Aggie Assurance — which will soon cover tuition for qualifying Texas families earning up to $100,000 a year.
"They're not trying to hide it from you. They want people to apply, they want people to get that free money because they're proud of it, you know, they're giving back," Ha said.
"Less debt equals less stress," Ha said.
All of that help — and his own work — allowed Ha to buy his first home at just 26 years old. Now a realtor in Aggieland with a family of his own, he wants students to learn from the mistakes he made early on.
"Surrounding yourself with good people is definitely gonna be your best indicator of success," Ha said.
For more information about programs Texas A&M offers to help students pay for school, click here.
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