By Doug Blackburn

Star Manning came to Tallahassee to go to college because she wanted to be close to friends she made during her time as a U.S. Marine.

Manning, 31, a native of Los Angeles, first earned her associate’s degree at Tallahassee Community College. The GI Bill covered her school costs.

But when she transferred to the journalism program at Florida A&M, Manning was disappointed to learn that there was not enough money left in her GI Bill account to pay her tuition as an out-of-state student.