Education shouldn't be like Halloween?

 

 

 

Halloween—a holiday that can be a huge hit or great miss. Either super fun, full of yummy cavity-inducing pieces of carbohydrates composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, OR an adventure in near-freezing temperatures when nobody guesses your costume and your siblings get more candy than you do. A holiday when everyone decides they want to go to the "wealthy" neighborhoods because they will hand out more candy, or have better ones.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that a lot of us really do look for the most cost efficient ways of going about our day, even when it comes to going trick-or-treating. The cost benefit ratio of going up a hill with a few houses on a cul-de-sac might not seem worth the walk, for example. Logically, most of us we go to the easy-access houses that have the best decorations because most likely, "you will get more for your buck".

All that aside, I have noticed that education unfortunately can be perceived in this same matter. Students can start to believe that if a school is not going to provide the "right chocolate" or "enough", then it is not worth attending anymore. So what I am trying to get at? Recently, I've been wondering:

Can we make it so that everyone is getting their fair share of mega-sized Kit Kats, Jolly Ranchers, M&M's (peanuts, pretzel, dark chocolate...), giant gummy worms, Nerds, and Starbursts? Can we change our ideas about the purpose of Halloween, and understand that it is all about having a good time, walking around our communities, and participating in a nation-wide holiday that unifies us in our fear of death and all things spooky?

Can we make it so that education becomes a place without discrimination, so that all of our kids have equal access to a world of exploration, growth, and fun? Can we give our passionate leaders a place to communicate and collaborate to come together and make change? Can we give all the best to kids regardless of their zip code?

That’s exactly what GEAR UP is doing! Now, students can see endless possibilities, many of which were students who wouldn't usually see the benefit of a post-secondary education. They have shifted their paradigms and see value in going to school. GEAR UP lets us know that the cost benefit ratio of education is actually in our favor if we are willing to dream, pardon, PLAN in big ways! As a community, anyone is capable of achieving even the grandest of impossibilities, like winning Willy Wonka's golden ticket. It seems scary to leave your hometown, to do things that you have never done before, spend thousands of dollars on something that you don't know a thing about except the fact that it doesn’t guarantee a job especially with our economic recession.

But, as one collective, we can change the culture. College can actually be a great investment-once we make it plausible for everyone to put on a “costume” and go forth and prosper—wherever they may find themselves. So today, the day after Halloween, what candy will you hand out? Can you continue to distribute the precious goodies all kids are craving? Will you help the children of your home see the value of a higher education? Can you change the fact that kids are dropping out of school and falling through the cracks because they don't see the benefit of paying for a future that their parents can't always help pave? Will YOU be there to help fill the cavities?

GEAR UP has and will continue to do so, and I will attempt to help. #GUALA 

Below: Lucy and Miss America discussing education after going out trick-or-treating.
Coming soon: Equity for all, and to all a great education!



 

Thank you,

-Alma Irene Aguilar