Money and dreams

[What follows is the text of part of a letter that Dr. Janet Morrison sent to the Sowell Scholarship Selection Committee as the group decided on this semester's award recipients.  I found it moving and so indicative of what chldren from low-income families face as they attempt to better their lives. We need to work harder to protect funding for students who are ready and willing to work hard on their education.  LJ]

Hello everyone~

I'm a little behind on getting scholarship info out to you this semester. As most of you know, I am now working with the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation. I am the director of their Eagle Scholars college readiness program where 150 students are enrolled in the program. E

Each year teachers at Tasby middle school choose 30 out-going 6th graders to be in the Eagle Scholars. We stick with those 30 kids year after year until they graduate. This is our first year of high school seniors.

I have been meeting with individual families and have met with about 15 so far. It amazes me that anyone could ever claim that poor people don't value education. I wish everyone could see the emotion as parents and their children tear up when they talk about their biggest fear is that they will not be able to fulfill their dreams.

When I ask why they wouldn't be able to, it is always because of money.

Last night I watched a 7th grader tear up over this same concern. I don't think she had ever expressed that concern and stress to her mom. I could tell it shocked and greatly concerned the mom that her daughter was already so concerned about their money situation. Her mom immediately tried to console her and tell her that they would ask friends and family for favors and would find a way to make sure she could go to college and fulfill her dream.

I can almost guarantee you that the applicants for the fall will be much greater in number since I now have contact with many more seniors who will be looking for assistance. Since the Eagle Scholars stick with the program over 5 years, they are absolutely amazing and dedicated students with their only fault being that they are poor and can't afford college. I'm glad we have this scholarship that I will be able to tell them about.

Another important piece of information...Nazareth [the scholarship applicant] is asking for $3,000 this time. She is doing great at UT and has now declared Biology and pre-med as her major. She has switched a couple of times from Education to Engineering to (now) Biology. Her dad has requested that this be her last declaration.

Knowing Nazareth, I know she is determined and responsible. She has looked into the program to make sure she can still graduate on time (which she will). She said the students received a letter from UT stating that due to government cuts the amount of financial aid they are able to receive has been cut. She was very concerned about this. She has the maximum amount of Stafford loans but does not want to take out Parent Plus loans because she does not want to burden her parents with the potential debt if she cannot get a job in this economy. Instead, she has been working relentlessly with the UT Financial Aid department to find as many other grants as possible. Because of her hard work and persistence...I would recommend that she receives the complete $3,000...but I am open to any suggestions from the committee.

Thanks so much for being a part of this important act of helping kids fulfill their dreams.

Janet

Battle

This has been a most challenging week for a number of reasons.  I'll not bore with details, except to say at times a person can wonder if there is any hope of real, sustainable, substantive progress. 

Then, things happen. 

Hope pops all around unexpectedly and in amazing, strange ways.

Mid-morning on Wednesday:  a young friend, brought to the US from Mexico as a child by his parents, literally against  his will--he was 12 at the time and his daddy made him come--drops in to see me.  I've known him for well over a decade.  So, this man is a classic for the DREAM Act--a child brought into the country as a minor by undocumented immigrants needing just relief so that he can stay here and put his good education to work. 

As he discusses the business that brought him to see me, he begins to reminisce.  He shares with me just how hard it was to leave Mexico, his grandmother, his cousins, his extended family.  He confesses the deep seated anger that he held inside against his father. In the midst of our talk he tells me that many of us at CitySquare stepped in and became "substitute" family. 

"You guys became my family, Larry," he spoke through free flowing tears.  "You took the place of my uncles, aunts, grandmother and cousins.  You shaped my life and helped me get beyond my anger." 

It was amazing catharsis for him and for me. 

As he spoke, a new understanding of the power and proficiency of community fell on my understanding of the importance of human connection and mutuality across silly, artificially imposed barriers. 

I was so glad that he came by.

Early afternoon Wednesday:  Janet Morrison appears at my door with a young man at her side.  She reminds me that he is Gustavo Vidal, one of "her kids."  Gustavo had come up through Janet's programming, first as a participant student and then as a helper with the other children. 

Several years earlier Gustavo had applied for and received a CitySquare scholarship award to help pay his expenses at the University of Texas in Austin.  He just graduated! 

Gustavo handed me a note that read:

Larry,

I am writing to thank you for all the support that CitySquare has given to me since I was in elementary school.  Many of the education programs were extremely helpful in helping me take the steps I needed to take to attend college.  Words cannot describe how thankful I am for the time and resources that you made available to me.  I graduated this May with a degree in Government and with it I hope to be able to work in public policy.  Hopefully one day I will be able to help people in the same way you helped me.  Thank you.  Yours sincerely, Gustavo Vidal

Gustavo had returned to us to volunteer in our growing public policy work in the community. 

So much then for feeling hopeless!