Why are you interested in joining this task force? * I am interested in joining this task force because I am interested in expanding educational opportunities for lower-income and minority students. This past semester, I took Introduction to Sociology, where I learned about how systematic racism prevents lower-income and minority constituents from gaining access to the educational and occupational opportunities that higher-income, white constituents have greater access to. This structured inequality often prevents lower-income and minority constituents from getting promotions in their jobs and from being hired in the better-paid job positions that wealthier, white constituents are being hired in. However, many people believe that we live in a solely meritocratic society where a person gets …show more content…
Many people are not aware of how systematic racism and sexism prevent lower-income and minority constituents from gaining access to the educational and occupational opportunities that higher-income and white constituents are readily exposed to. I hope to be able to use this knowledge to provide greater educational opportunities to lower-income and minority students through communicating with community leaders and policymakers and encouraging a discussion surrounding how we can provide lower-income and minority students with the tools necessary to greater excel in the classroom. Lastly, as a person who is interested in advocacy and has participated in various advocacy organizations and events, such as the March for Science, I hope to be able to encourage early participation in advocacy-related activities among students. Overall, I am interested in joining this task force to get in touch with members of the Houston community, to raise awareness about institutional factors and policy items that impact the educational opportunities available for lower-income and minority students, and to explore the issues that impact the