Growing Roses In Concrete

"Half full or half empty... If you choose to see your life as the things you don't have, then you will never fill your cup"

We all come from different backgrounds. We are all also born with privilege, but some are born with more privilege than others. Some of us are roses that are trying to grow on concrete as Jeff Duncan-Andrade says. Education is for everyone. We all have the right to it. Education is different to everyone depending on where it stands in your family values. Some families force their kids into law school or medical school because their parents went to medical or law school and "want" their kids to be successful. Other families expect their kids to drop out of school and work in order to help the family get their basic needs. There is millions and billions of different backgrounds in the world, but there is something that can change. "You don't question its damaged pedals of course it's going to have damaged pedals it's growing in the concrete. Instead, you celebrate its tenacity and its will to reach the sun." People can overcome their conditions. education is a way to overcome those conditions, but with all these high drop out rates, it seems almost impossible. Almost, but not impossible.

One of the reasons why people might drop out of school is because of their living status. For example, the living conditions in Oakland. "The conditions in which urban youth are growing are not natural, they are created which means they can be changed." The way kids are growing up is really messed up. Lets have a reality check for a second. Crime is inevitable, it's a sad truth in our world that there is a lot of crime out in the streets everywhere. It's something that will always be a factor in peoples lives. It's also a bad influence that infects people like a virus, it just keeps spreading and spreading everywhere. Unfortunately, crime cannot just disappear over night like a bad dream. Even with crime, there still is hope. It's the will inside you to let it go and move on. You must be able to forget and completely block everything out in your life and focus on what is important, your future. It's hard for everyone, it's hard for me, but if you really stick your mind to it and block out everything else in the world that you have no control over. You can overcome it and become a successful individual.

Another reason why I think people drop out of school is because they don't realize the importance of education. I think that the first influence someone has about education comes directly from education. Families with less privilege are more likely to have a shorter span of years spent in education. While families that have a lot of privilege and have capital expect and almost force their kids into college. I can say that i'm like a rose that's growing from the concrete. My parents have a very little school background. My father didn't finish high school because he had to look for a job in order to help support his family of 10 brothers and sisters. My mother did finish high school in Mexico, but also had to give up the opportunity to go to college and begin to work to support her 10 brothers and sisters. My mother later on went back to school after having me and my younger brother, but it was too late. Things were different and priorities had changed so she couldn't keep up. My mother always reminded me and said "You are blessed to live in the moment your in, don't become a hobo. Do the right thing and do everything correctly". One of the reasons why I decided to go to college was because I knew about education and how much in can influence someones life. Another big reason why I went to college was to make my parents proud. They didn't have the opportunity to go to school. They didn't have the privilege I have today. So it's almost like i'm going to school for them. I'm representing them in school, but i'm also doing for the benefit of myself. 

Even after my parents struggles and hardships, I give them so much respect for all they have done for me and my brothers. Even if they didn't have the opportunity to go to college, i'm not going to use that excuse to give up in school and drop out. On the other hand, I use it to motivate me even more. I'm breaking a chain that they were unfortunately tied to. Its as if i'm trying to set them free and also doing it for myself. I also am setting up an image for my brothers to also do the right things and go to school and get good grades. We all have a different story to tell, but just because your parents story is unfortunate, it does not mean yours has to be the same. Don't let the past of others influence or decide your future. "Even if your growing in concrete, grow and reach to the top, water yourself with the resources you have."