Taylor Opportunity Program for Students or TOPS is a state scholarship program for Louisiana students. The program offers four separate awards: TOPS Opportunity Award, TOPS Performance Award, TOPS Honors Award and TOPS Tech Award. These awards are part of the TOPS program that help hardworking students attend college. TOPS is awarded to those students who maintain a certain GPA and ACT score.

With the state’s recent budget cuts, TOPS may not be able to be fully funded next year due to extensive budget cuts by the state government. Right now, this is concerning many students and parents.

“A big part of my college funding is TOPS,” said freshman integrative biology major Jenna Melerine. “If TOPS is suspended by the government, my college plans will have to be altered because myself and plenty of other students cannot pay for college without TOPS.” 

According to our recently appointed Governor John Bel Edwards, he and every legislator want to continue funding for the TOPS program. 

I say we need to keep funding it, because there are many things that could go wrong without that funding. While there are so many other options for some students, many students will not be able to afford attending the university without the extra help. Without a college education and degree, it is becoming harder to get a job and trying to make a career out of this job is even harder.

Let’s think of one scenario that could possibly happen. What if TOPS was taken from students? Some students use that money to attend school and rely on it to finish school. If it was taken from those students, many of them would have to work while in school and some may have to drop out because they cannot focus on school and work. Having a full time job to pay for school while attending school can be difficult. Most students get their degrees to get their dream jobs, but if they can’t afford school, that is unfortunately not possible. 

“I don’t like that TOPS might get suspended,” said freshman nursing major Dawn Dupont. “Out of everything that the government could have cut, they chose the one thing that is important. If TOPS does get suspended, it will be extremely difficult for my tuition to be paid. My family and I count on the TOPS scholarship to help pay for everything.”

I have always been told that I need a degree to get a job. Distributing the money to students who have worked hard to earn it can reduce the graduation rate. Without a job, it is very likely that students will end up on welfare or another type of government money long term because they are unable to support themselves because they cannot afford to get a degree.