Blog Post #8

Part II:

This weeks readings were about poverty affecting college students. The reading that was more meaningful to me was ” From homeless to college grad”, by Circelli. This article was a powerful because it covered the story of a poor college student name William. William grew up in poverty with his grandmother. Thanks to his grandmother, he was always encourages to go to school and be educated. After his grandmother passed away, he moved to Miami with one of his aunts. William lived in the ghetto and saw many things he shouldn’t had seen. He tried his very best to stay in school and continue with his dream. In high school he participated in many activities to be able to earn scholarships and thanks to a administrator he was helped with college applications. William was able to transfer to Bethune Cookman to study criminal justice. The part the got to me the most was bout him being homeless his first 3 years of college. He had no where to sleep, he would sleep in empty trucks, or spend the nights in the dorms couch, or crash in different friends dorms. He was to pride to ask for help and let people know he was poor. Days he didn’t have anything to eat, but he would get lucky enough to borrow friends meal card or cup of noodles. By Jr year in a speech he did, he admitted his situation and many people and faculty were surprised. William was a good student, so many faculty reached out to him and gave him a hand. They gave him a place to sleep and board. Eugeina Flores, an 1980 graduate, was touched by his story that she made herself his godmother and treated him like family. Today he is a role model for most people and even me. He graduated from college and is hoping to become a defense  attorney or a congressman.  This reading shows that education and dedication is very important. Anyone can make it, no matter of their situation. There are many people out there that take what they have for granted and not realize that they are being blessed more than others. I sometimes complain about school, or the drive home, or my job, there are days where i want to ditch a day at school to just relax but then i remember there are people who wish to be ins school and i’m not appreciating it. In the other reading,”Responsibility for Reducing Poverty”, by Edelman, he talks about how us as a community can help reduce poverty. In some ways i agree with him, to change something, we need to put effort and participate. He says the everyone is responsible in some ways for poverty. Any one can make a change, for example President Obama and the government are a huge part, they can make programs that can benefit communities in poverty. Obama made the Obama care, providing health assistance for the poor. Also big business get involve as well. They donate money to schools and help provide better education for the future of the USA. Churches do their part too, they offer free services for the poor, they provide food and shelter for those in needs at the house of God. For teenagers there are variety of help, for example, there are government programs like parent care for teenagers who get pregnant and have no way of raising their kids. I feel that the community tries their best to help each other out from poverty, if you don’t work hard you will never see a change for the future. The U.S. has many communities in poverty and there are many programs out there willing to help. Even though those in high class get bothered that they are taxed for programs that benefit the poor, I feel that it is fair. And i understand, because there are many people who take advantage of the help that is being provided when they don’t really need it. Poverty affects children who have dreams of education the most. It is hard to get out of the poor or the ghetto without any financial or family support. There are people like William who make it and other’s who don’t even graduate from high school. This readings help me understand and appreciate what i have and be grateful to not have to struggle to go to education like William did. Statistics says that African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are who suffer in poverty the most. And as a Latina i can relate to some of the topics. for example I don’t have the money to be educated, if it weren’t for financial aid and my part time job, maybe i wouldn’t had the chance to be in school. So i put myself in the shoes of those who don’t receive financial air nor have a job to even consider school and it’s a sad feeling.