The student in question didn’t say why their parents refused to pay for college, but I do know of one case (involving two sisters) where the parents had the means to contribute, but were mentally ill and involved in a cult, so the kids applied for and received legal emancipation.
They received a full ride to a top liberal arts college. Things were not easy for them (for example, they were stuck on campus for the breaks, when meals weren’t provided, and had to work grueling jobs all four years), but they graduated and are now successful adults.
If the letter writer has a situation involving abuse or incompetence, legal emancipation is possible.