Week 8
1551 words by jessicabaham
Mayor C. Ray Nagin
Mayor of New Orleans
Mayor’s Office
1300 Perdido, Room 2E04
New Orleans, La 70112
Mary Landrieu
Hale Boggs Federal Building
500 Poydras Street
Room 1005
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton for President Committee
1717 K Street, N.W.
Suite 1001
Washington, D.C. 20036
PHONE (202) 263-0180
FAX (202) 263-0181
Barack Obama
Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680
PHONE (866) 675-2008
http://action.barackobama.com/page/s/contact
Every year thousands of applications pass through the doors of college admission offices .The lucky few whom make it to this new step in life approach college eagerly, some there for the experience, some for the education, yet all mere individuals seeking a similar path in life. But within these droves of new students lay a new independent breed whom exceed the norm not only in the classroom but within their social lives. Whether it be working around the clock shifts to make ends meet or walking into the highly frustrating college application process alone, these students excel mentally and physically in all aspects of their lives. As a first generation college student myself I not only understand the struggles of overcoming the many hurdles in my academic and social life, but am also aware of the crucial necessity to give back to the community and people whom blessed me with the resources and inspiration to get to where I am today.
Like most my education and inspiration started within the home. Although I was not born in to the most financially abudanant of circumstances, the expectations for me to do well and excel in school where instilled in me through my mother and grade school peers. However my situation was not the case for most, the life between private school and coming home where and still are two different worlds. At school college, books, and high standards, where encouraged while at home the meer mention of an education beyond high school was rarely mentioned. Many rarely conseplated the idea of even finishing grade school.
Set backs for first generation children like myself start from a young age. Most are born into provershed areas of low income with a lack of resources and opportunities that are available to the vast majority of middle class children. Education obtained comes not only from the classroom but from the hardships of day to day life. And while there are programs out there for the bright underprivledged child, the reality is that the majority of these great minds are lost to the surrounding environment. The few whom do make it usually find themselves in underresourced local school systems, while a select few find sponsers outside of their direct environment. Unlike their peers most first generation students must take it upon themselves to learn some of the most basic aspects of cultural and social capitial. Many times this knowledge is obtained soley through personal experience rather than the usual means of parental hearsay . We have to educate ourselves not only on what we learn within the walls of school but go the extra mile to educate ourself on the dominant culture surrounding us in order to grasp the bigger picture while setting goals outside of our intial environments’ social norm. Whether that be going to college or becoming an entrepenur our plan for success is one that has to be built from scratch not dervived from previous family experencies.
This leaves many first generation students in a situation of frustration, because the knowledge obtained often times is left to waste not because a lack of drive or caring, but rather because of a lack of financial resources. Many students become confused when it comes to figuring out the college application and FASFA processes due to the lack of knowledge concerning the topic around us. And while most middle class public schools do have resource offices to help students through this process the truth is that many under resourced high schools do not have the time nor money to dedicate to these important aspects of high school life because problems involving violence, narcotics,etc. take heed over scholastic indevers. While there are always a varity of exceptions to this, it remains true that the majority of the few intellectuals whom make it through high school become lost in a forgien process with no help from parents , peers, or administration. Not touching on the fact that the majority of these household are not equiped with a computer and even less likely to be connected to the internet, which today is used in every single step of the college admissions process.
Tuition cost also contribute largely to the discouragement of first generation hopefuls. Often times knowledge of scholarships, grants,loans,and additional resources are unknown to the student and his/her parents. When aspects of financial resources are unknown and the gross income of a family is below $30,000 the possibility of sending a child to college on a tution of up to $60,000 a year appears extremely unrealistic even for the brightest of young adults. Because of this lack of information many tend to over estimate the cost of actual tutuion and underestimate the fincial aid avaliable to them. For instance the majority of ivy league schools provide 100% free tutuion, room, board, book, etc. to any student from a family that makes less than $60,000 per year. It is of little doubt that all these factors can contribute to an easy downward spiral in both the physical and mental states of first generation students .
Once in college many of these students find themselves as much an outsider as they are at home. After considering that the vast majority of college students come from middle to upper class families whom usually provided not only the finical means it takes to send a child to college but also the social knowledge they have learned from prior experiences surrounding the aspects of college life Many are once again left in the dark when it comes to social issues in dominant culture. We are again faced with the task of not only learning the knowledge we obtain in the college classroom, but also must undergo the adaptation of ourselves to the new culture surrounding college and the people in it. Many times we come from such different environments as our peers that we in some aspects feel as if we cant relate purely because of the lack of experiences we have had surrounding certain topics. This leads many to feel uncomfortable and tempted to pull back to the familiarity of home. However some find out that home is not such a welcoming place when the newly obtained social lifestyle clashes with that of the old.
Despite all of this, coming from so little reminds us of the necessity to educate the ones around us whom don’t have the same opportunities as I have had. We have a responsibility to our families that others don’t because it is our only hope in making it better for our children and our families. As we learn and grow we are able to take that knowledge back home not necessarily physics or chemistry but the overall knowledge of new found inties . By excelling in what we do in our every day college life we not only instill confidence in ourselves but the people around us. We make once far fetched dreams become obtainable realities, while creating personal small ground breaking legacies within our families.
We obtain the power to connect a once distance social class of dominant society to the people we love and care about who may have never obtained the ties that are introuduced simply through our placement in god ordained situations .In essence we become the bridge between two worlds that otherwise would have never otherwise collided. Yet the struggle to keep up never goes away and stays with us forever. Whether it be figuring out how to operate a savings/checking account, or figuringing out what an IRA accont is the constant challenge for us is not only keeping up with general society but in afundamental nature requires us to figure out a large amount of otherwise generally known aspects of adult life on our own.
“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” Anisi Nin. Regardless of what I have gone through and what I will go through the only way that we may continue to improve the lives of ourselves and the people around us is to restist the temptation of becoming stagnant mentally and physically. We must set high expectations for ourselves and fufil our potential in life , we must embrace the abundance of knowledge around us. It is true that education and knowledge are the basic elements in obtaining all the things that we desiree in life, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically,we all have the potential to live happy lives but we must realize most valuable asset, our potential.