Cuvvy Perpaterson

In the podcast “Lower Income, Higher Ed” NPR reporter Cuvvy Perpaterson ( I believe that’s what she said) discussed the issues high school students in D.C. face while applying and attending University. Perpaterson describes her interaction with one teenager; Christopher. He is a first-generation college student. “Christopher grew up in one of the poorest parts of Washington, D.C. He and his mother went through frequent bouts of homelessness when he went to high school — often staying in shelters.” Christopher illustrates his feelings about how attending University affected him. He speaks of how the first time he stepped into his dorm he couldn’t believe he has a space to call his own. He also expresses his fears of being alone and worries for

Christopher leaving his home and not knowing the road ahead. I had something similar happen to me while in fourth grade. I was living in Rockwall, Texas my dad had just got laid off from his job for reasons we still don’t understand. We had to move out of our house to save money. At first, we went to Waco, Texas (yes that’s where fixer-upper is) I attended a Catholic school there for only half a year. It was odd for me having to go look for hand me down uniforms and school supplies. People looked at us differently even though we looked just like them. They had an expression of guilt almost for absolutely no reason. I, fortunately, had help from the school so that I would have all the correct supplies and uniforms. But when this happened I also lost things that I believed every child should have like a bedroom, bed, bathroom, and personal space. I lost all of that when we moved into this maybe 700 square foot apartment above someone’s garage. This made me realize a harsh truth that I shouldn’t take anything for granted. I was afraid like Christopher that my family wouldn’t be able to even afford the apartment; that we would be driven out into the streets. I was lucky that my parents had gone to college and graduated with masters degrees. They were first generations from very poor families also. In college, they learned to keep pushing and never let one thing knock you down. They have told me countless times of how they had to work to go to school and change how they acted around classmates. I learned that if my dad didn’t have that degree I wouldn’t be writing this journal entry right now. It made me appreciate what I have and try to give to others that need help. Encourage people to shoot for the stars and attend that class because something as small as money for a bus ticket can change a person’s