When I was a child, I felt completely powerless. I felt this way because I had a sense of the inequalities that existed in the world. I remember times in my life when we did not heat or hot water, having to eat leftovers, and not having enough money to afford to participate in extracurricular activities. I'll never forget an experience I had in the sixth grade. Our class had the opportunity to take music lessons. Each child's parent had to contribute to the cost of the instrument. I knew my family did not have enough to pay for an instrument and I did not want to burden my mom about it because she was a struggling college student. So I said nothing. I went to the teacher and she gave me an old clarinet. While I should have been appreciative of the gesture, I couldn't face the embarrassment of carrying around a hand -me-down instrument and so I simply stopped playing and attending music class. I realize now that I was being prideful, but I also didn't want to be an outcast because I couldn't afford an instrument like the other kids could. Growing up poor, kids like myself have to face tough choices like this every day.
Like many children, I faced many situations when I felt completely powerless. Whether it was bullying that toook place in my neighborhood, which to me resembled living in some barbaric past, or simply from your parents having power over you, this experience is not uncommon for children while growing up.
What made the difference? It was education. While I was always considered a smart kid, I never made the connection about the ways that education can elevate your status in our society. More importantly, I did not realize that education can be used as a tool for liberation. It is through education that I found my voice. I was able to articulate the feelings of powerlessness that I never had the strenth to do before. I was lucky. I had mentors and people who invested their time in me so that I could see beyond the indoctrination that we often experience going through the educational system in the United States and worldwide.
I was able to travel through education. I was able to lift myself out of poverty through my educational opportunities. The same can be said of my mother. She came here as an immigrant and raised me as a single parent. But it was through education that she was able to improve her life and thereby improve mine.
We live in a time where the prevailing idea is that if yhou make a YouTube video or divulge your deepest darkest secrets on reality TV, you will be able to make a better life for yourself. That's all well and good, but there's a good old fashion way of improving your lot in life and gaining power in the United States and that is through education.
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