Facts on Meghan Markle “Self-funded” Education
Is Meghan Markle Rewriting her History?
We believe Meghan Markle “Self-funded” Education is full of holes. We looked at the many inconsistencies. The costs that didn’t add up to her “reality” checks. Markle’s private education costs as well. Did she pay for those? With what? Her milk money? Markle’s lies are getting bolder. She thinks no one is looking. But we are all watching this train wreck.
On 24th October 2018, Markle gave a speech at University of the South Pacific’s Suva campus in Fiji where she wildly claimed to have paid for her own education. She attended Northwestern University In Evanston, Illinois. We applaud efforts made by individuals who show initiative in their lives. However, she created a fantastical story that is not based in reality.
I know the challenges first hand of committing to higher education. This whilst striving to fund it on your own. I was a scholarship and financial aid programmes graduate. That’s why I can attest to Markle’s ‘untruths’. None of her rewritten history makes any sense. When you file for financial aid, it’s based on “NEED” and not want.
Free Funding
A scholarship is an extraordinary benefit to have. But it does not pay ALL the tuition costs of a university education. That is where financial aid comes in. The challenge of financial aid, however is to PROVE you are worthy of its full benefit. Every university student can apply to receive financial aid. But they must meet the basic eligibility criteria. And not every student receives the same dollar amount.
You have a better chance of receiving the full benefit by claiming “independent”. This means you are not supported by your parents. Importantly, your parents also do not own any property. That’s because home equity is viewed as income and can be used to fund your education. So, why would you need financial aid?
Financial aid is serious business. Because it’s free money. It’s not a loan. So you don’t have to pay it back. Tax documents are also reviewed during the application process. You have to prove you are living on your own. Not just occupying a dorm space whilst attending school. You have to show means of supporting yourself financially. Otherwise, why would you need “financial” aid?
Private Funding
Many students and their parents end up applying for private funding. They either don’t qualify for financial aid or didn’t get enough. Private funding is not the same as financial aid. You don’t have to pay back financial aid, but you are responsible for paying back any “private” funding you received.
Cracks appear – Meghan Markle “Self Funded” Education claims
The issue I have with Markle’s speech was the cost of tuition. Markle attended Northwestern University in the early 2000’s. It was widely reported the tuition was around $30,000 a year. Her speech also mentions no DEBT she would have accumulated as a graduate. NEITHER scholarship or financial aid programme would FULLY fund a $30,000 a year university education. Unless she also received “private funding”. However, Markle said she received financial aid. In addition, what type of scholarship did she receive?
Markle also claimed to have done work-study. She cited, “where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition”. The minimum wage for that period was $5.15 an hour, so, even if Markle worked a full 40 hours a week for 52 weeks that would only yield $10,712 per annum. This does not calculate the taxes she would have paid on her earnings. Note she mentioned “on campus” in her speech. Not modelling or acting or other gigs where she might have yielded a bigger pay.
Costs don’t add up – Meghan Markle “Self-funded Education claims
Did Markle also pay for her dorm or on-campus or off-campus living quarters? What about her own text books? Here is a screen shot from Northwestern University on the EXTRAS that students paid for 2017-2018 year, in addition to their tuition cost.
Meghan Markle “Erases” Thomas Markle Sr.
Markle’s speech makes great effort to erase her father, Thomas Markle Sr. from her life. This is unfortunate. I do not believe that Markle also paid for her PRIVATE SCHOOL education at Immaculate Heart High School and Middle School. The listed tuition for the 2018-2019 school year was $16,850 plus fees. Whilst inflation plays into the current costs and fees, one can do a calculation to assess what it would have been at the time of Markle’s attendance.
Markle “Self-funded” Education is “Hallmark TV” drama
Here is the FULL transcript of Meghan Markle’s speech VIA Daily Mail Online.
Meghan Markle ‘channels’ Pinocchio
Bula! It is a great privilege to be with all of you today. As a university graduate, I know the personal feeling of pride and excitement that comes with attending university. From the moment you receive your acceptance letter, to the exams you spend countless late nights studying for, the lifelong friendships you make with your fellow alumni, and the moment you receive your diploma.
The journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one. I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world – myself included. It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition – that I was able to attend university.
Thankless daughter act
And, without question, it was worth every effort. Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital. Providing them with access to education is the key to economic and social development. Because when girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them.
While progress has been made in many areas across the Commonwealth, there is always scope to offer more opportunities to the next generation of young adults, and specifically to young women. The Association of Commonwealth Universities, which has Her Majesty The Queen is Patron of, supports universities to promote equality in their own institutions. I am pleased to announce today that two new grants will be awarded to Fiji National University and the University of the South Pacific, allowing each of them to run workshops which empower their female staff.
Word Salad?
This means that female faculty members are able to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and enter higher-education, and that more women become part of the decision-making process in academic institutions. Grants like this ensure that women are provided with the training and skills to operate effectively in their roles, and those with leadership potential are given the opportunity to be heard and recognised at the most senior level.
It is wonderful to join you here today and we look forward to learning more about your academic endeavours, and the work you plan to do as future leaders and as change-makers! My husband Harry and I, wish you all the very best of luck as you continue your studies and work. Your efforts now will help to make a positive future for each of you and your communities at large – congratulations to you all!
Rebuttal – Meghan Markle “Self-funded” Education
REBUTTAL FROM THOMAS MARKLE SR
Thomas Markle kept silent because his daughter was pregnant at the time.
Meghan Markle claimed, ‘It was with scholarships, financial aid programmes, and work study from my earnings from a job on campus that went directly towards my tuition that I was able to attend university, and without question it was worth every effort.’
Daily Mail excerpt – 31st August 2019:
Not true, says her father, who remained silent at the time because his daughter was pregnant.
‘I’m sorry but that is completely untrue“. Thomas Markle continued, ‘I paid every penny of her tuition and I have the bank statements to prove it’. Markle Sr said, ‘I paid for her trips to Spain and England. I paid for her internship in Argentina.’
For his part, Mr Markle admits it was a ‘point of pride’ to pay off his daughter’s fees even after she became an independently wealthy woman. ‘I told Meg I would pay for her education and I did. It’s what any father would do.’
He has revealed the contents of a letter sent to Meghan’s mother Doria five days after the Duchess’s speech in Fiji.
In it, he wrote: ‘Meghan is saying she wants nothing to do with me and she worked her way through college all by herself. I haven’t said anything about it, but I’m sure reporters are checking at Northwestern to see who paid her way through school. She cannot change history.’
