There is a common misconception that my demographic is one of privilege and prosperity. If one finds himself at the right place at the right time, the statement is true. However, I share a low socioeconomic status with a majority of my peers. Even though this status is a disadvantage that affects my everyday life, the family, community, and health factors of this status have made the greatest impact on my education. My family’s financial situation has had the greatest effect on my education. The issues began after my parent’s separation left our budget in ruins. Even on our best days, my parents low economic status made money a tense topic. As an example, I have a desire to participate in many extracurricular activities, but my parents told me that there wasn’t enough money to make these experiences happen. Despite the fact that I lack the opportunities like these that some of my peers have had, I remain determined to pursue higher education to become an obstetrician. I have learned that finances cannot push my dreams away, and I am taking every step …show more content…
In my community, I sit among a wholly Caucasian population with little diversity. My elementary school teachers would have us observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January and African American History Month in February, but without any other races we didn’t know the reason for celebration. In 2013, I attended a symposium in that surrounded me with a large, diverse group of teenagers from the suburbs of Detroit. I found the new environment exhilarating and made it my goal to meet every person. Their stories gave me a revelation over the harsh lives that these groups of people lived that were different from what I was familiar with. This knowledge that people are struggling in more ways than I can imagine gives me a passion for solving the adversities of health and make a better life possible for
Having a family of low socioeconomic status inevitably leaves me to reside in a low-income neighborhood which makes it more likely for me to witness the tragedies, adversities and hardships that people go through [not excluding myself]. Being conscious of this kind of environment, and these kinds of events, creates a pressure on me for having the aim to achieve social mobility in order to escape the aforementioned environment so that my own children could witness one less abominable aspect of life. Moreover, my family’s low socioeconomic status does not authorize me the privilege of being raised with the concerted cultivation method that kids of high socioeconomic status are more prone to being raised in. My family did not have the financial resources that granted us access to extra classes or lessons of instrumental classes, swimming practices, karate practices, or any other extracurricular activities that people of high socioeconomic status would be able to afford. This invisible fence that prevents me from these extracurricular activities enables me to having more appreciation towards the hobbies and talents that other people have. Plus, the fact that my family’s low socioeconomic status acts as a barrier from enjoying expensive luxuries in life creates a yearning [in me] to enjoy them later on in my life, in addition to acting as the fuel to my wish of achieving social mobility in anticipation of providing my own children with the luxurious vacations, gadgets, beachhouse, new cars that I could not
Malala Yousafzai once stated, “I raise up my voice–not so that I can shout, but so those without a voice can be heard.” This philosophy is one that I have always modelled my life after. However, it was not until my freshman year of high school that I truly began affiliating myself with the causes of human rights and social justice. It may sound a bit absurd, but the most prominent force that caused me to become more concerned with the pursuit of justice has been the internet. Due to its vast amounts of information, I am now an active feminist and an all around supporter of human rights. I constantly seek to further my awareness on such issues, taking care to learn and expand on my knowledge of the inequities of the world. Once I opened
To elaborate, I am from a lower middle class family; consequently, my family has never been able to save up for my college education. Money has always been an issue with my parents, as my mother is deaf, which has complicated her ability to get a suitable job, and my
Looking back on my life there haven’t been a lot of times where I felt like an outsider. I always had a group of friends, a family that loved me, and I like to think that my peers always thought of me as a pretty fun to be around person. However last year there was a time where I did feel as though rejection was prominent in my life..
The stereotypical version of the normal life of a teenager proceeding to college would include high academic standards met throughout their high school career and outstanding outside testing scores resulting in automatic entry into the institution of their choice. Many of these individuals have the support of their accomplished family members in the form of financial support. There are those who have not had the luxuries of any easy upbringing but forced to decide between a life with a college degree or full-time employment. For myself I want to have it all and to achieve that I have taken on both.
Having the college experience is everyone’s dream, especially High School students who are ready to get out into the world and explore. College is very important for furthering someone’s career, but no one thinks about all the costs and the stress that comes along with college. Tuition fees and costs are increasing more and more each year. Now days it feels like you have to be a millionaire just to attend a good college and get a good degree in what you were attending for. There are some students that do not have a lot of money and live on very little things with their parents, but indeed are very smart and have a 4.0 GPA. Those students are the ones that are unable to attend college if they cannot afford it. College tuition is too expensive,
Money and education are some of the biggest restraints I have. Money really affects people’s lives because you can’t just get a new car to fit into what other people have and you can’t go on trips with others due to money. Many can’t go on trips because they don’t have the money to spare. It has to go to other necessities that are needed, like a house and food. Society encourages all people to be up to date and have the best things possible. This isn’t possible though because not everyone has an equal income or the same amount knowledge. I am affected by this because I can’t go to all of the big trips with others to experience other places. Education is the next factor for me. I am not able to go to college right away because I have to finish where I am at right now. People may not be able to pursue the education to get a better job due to money already being short. I am currently not able to further my education into becoming a certified nursing aid because of my location and time restraints. Society believes that everyone should go to college no matter what. This doesn’t work out because many don’t want to go to college and they don’t want to give up the money they could make in the time they go to college. This is the opportunity cost of going to
In today’s economy, it has become more evident just how different the classes are. Lower levels of SES do not have access to good schools, or decent health care, leading to a worse quality of life. Higher levels of SES have access to more resources and tend to allow children to develop self-esteem, optimism, and perceived control (American Psychological Association, 2014). The traditional family with two parents, the father works, and the mother stays is almost nonexistent. Households where the man works and the woman stays at home only represent 7% of the U.S. population (Malone, Stewart, Wilson & Korsching, 2010).
Austin, Anne. “Money Concerns and Financial Aid.” Education and College. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003 Teen Decisions. Rpt. From “Financing College: Exploring Your Options.” Career World. Opposing Views in Context. Web. 25. Nov. 2013.
In my words, Sociological imagination is a way for a person to look at their life as a result of their interaction with society. It can explain why a life is lived with way it is lived and all events, decisions, successes, and failures that have occurred. In my life I have encountered many situations, problems, opportunities and events. I can use my sociological imagination to examine these and figure out why I am the way I am and also why I have chosen to do certain things
In Zoe Mendelson's essay “Paying For College,” she describes a friend who is having similar difficulties. Her friends' father describes their family as “in the nether region,” where his household income is “too much to qualify for substantial financial aid but not enough to pay that amount,” (Mendelson, 131). This is often one of the main issues middle class families face. For families like my own, who make a good living on paper- things are not quite what they seem. My...
When I was born, my family had just migrated to California from Mexico. In a new country, my father worked in landscaping earning less than $4 dollars an hour, while my mother relied on public transportation to take her newborn child to and from doctor visits. In the land of opportunity, my family struggled to put a roof over our heads. But never discouraged, my parents sought to achieve their goals and worked tirelessly to raise my younger brother and I. From a young age, I was taught the importance of education; this became a major catalyst in my life. My desire to excel academically was not for self-gain, but my way of contributing to my family’s goals and aspirations.
As an African American woman, I have lived and worked in underserved communities and have experienced personally, the social and economic injustices grieved by underserved communities and the working poor. All of which, has increased my desires to work with such populations. A reserved person by nature, I have exposed an inner voice that I was oblivious to. I have expressed my inner voice to those living in underserved communities, who are seeking social and economic stability. I have come to classify and value the strength I have developed by the need, to survive in an underserved community. I use these as my continuous struggle against the social and economic injustices that I have experienced, as a product of an underserved community and as an African American woman. I have continued my struggle to overcome the barriers from my upbringing in an underserved community.
Growing up in a country full of poverty and lack of proper medication was a tough environment to be born into. I still remember my mom crying about how she lost my bigger brother due to money struggle and lack of medication. She explained that before my sister and I were born, we had a bigger brother; however upon his birth he was infected and died within seventh day. Lack of medication in a country full of poverty was just what my parent and my bother didn’t need yet couldn’t escape.
I never really thought about where my life was going. I always believed life took me where I wanted to go, I never thought that I was the one who took myself were I wanted to go. Once I entered high school I changed the way I thought. This is why I chose to go to college. I believe that college will give me the keys to unlock the doors of life. This way I can choose for myself where I go instead of someone choosing for me.