We’ve been low on volunteers this year due to changing schedules, so I was excited when a local college student came to see if she could volunteer with us. Today was her first day and I found her to be fascinating. When she was younger she loved school and wanted to grow up to be a teacher, but due to lack of encouragement from her parents in her school work, she quickly became uninterested in her school work. She explained to me that her mother only had a second grade education while she grew up in Mexico and that her parents believed the college was only for the geniuses. Somehow, during her senior her in high school, she regained her love for school and is now a freshman at a local community college. She is doing her general education classes there, and wants to transfer to Berkley. She wants to volunteer in a tutoring environment because she wants to encourage students in her neighborhood that college is not just for geniuses or those with unlimited opportunities. She is also very interested in social justice and the lack of opportunities the poor have versus the abundant opportunities that others have (Berkley would be a great place for her to go then!) Even more interesting is that she found high school socially challenging and says she only has two friends. The story of this young woman and her tremendous potential is exactly why we started LIST. Education provides opportunities would not otherwise have had, and it can be open to anyone regardless of where you grow up. I hope she will continue to volunteer with us as her story will be so encouraging to our students, especially those who have the same mindset she once had.
Another student that has tremendous potential is Angel. Please enjoy this installment of “In Their Own Words”, click here!
