Much of what I learned while reading Paying the Price, by Sara Goldrick-Rab, echoed what I already knew about college, becuase either I or someone I know has lived a similar expereince. Like the students in the book, college was only made possible for me because of financial aid. Because…

When hear of financial aid, I think of myself. I do not know a single individual who has had a more transformative college experience than myself. I dropped out of high school in my senior year because I had zero desire to learn what. I was being taught and overall…

Introduction — The COVID-19 pandemic has restructured virtually all aspects of American life. Social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders have reduced working hours for millions and many have no work at all. This month, 6 million Americans missed their mortgage or rent payment and 40 million are at risk of eviction. Although…

As I read through all of this data, I was not the least bit surprised by the fact that poverty, or school poverty, is the most significant contributor to achievement gaps. However, I was surprised to learn how well the school district I went to faired. I grew up in…

Week 4 reading I mentor for an 11 year old who attends school just off the Temple University campus in North Philly. The environment of his school is so vastly different than my elementary school — yet typical for Philly and Black neighborhoods across this country. The building is almost 100 years old…

The United States of America was founded on myths, lies, and theft of land and labor, which American’s perpetuate every day. The narrative must change. The New York Times 1619 Project uses the 400 anniversary of the moment enslaved Africans began to arrive on the shores of this continent. By…

On March 11th 2020, the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) had become so widespread, impacting humans across the entire globe, it was officially labeled a pandemic. The ensuing discourse in the United States highlighted many of the longstanding social issues plaguing our society. However, this discourse has yet to move into…