This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HigherEdWorks #CollectiveBias
In 1990, my parents packed up my little brother and me (then ages 3 and 1) and our family moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois, so that my dad could start residency.
From my earliest childhood memories, our home served a dual purpose. It was our touch-stone as a family but was also a place that helped to support my dad’s marathon study sessions during medical school and residency.
Education was woven into our daily life, and even in our humble beginnings as a family, my parents instilled a desire to learn from an early age.
It is no surprise that at the age of 7, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor. It’s what kept me in the enrichment and AP classes through high school. This drive fueled my own marathon study sessions in the Undergraduate Library in college, and it is what wouldn’t let me get off course despite that positive pregnancy test I stared at during my junior year.
At the end of the day, your education is something that cannot be taken from you. It is the great equalizer and it is something that my children have seen woven into their daily lives from birth. This came full circle for me when I finished medical school and packed up my own two children to move us to North Carolina for my residency training.
Although all jobs do not require a four year degree, most salaried jobs do require some secondary education, and all citizens deserve a chance to get one so that they too can provide for themselves and their families in a way that reflects the American dream. We are very fortunate to live in North Carolina, where there is a great lineup of schools that its residents (and out of state individuals) can attend to get a great education!
So when I was asked to partner with the Higher Education Works Foundation, I was ecstatic. The Higher Education Works Foundation wants North Carolinians to take advantage of our state’s awesome educational opportunities.
I was fortunate enough to receive a full tuition scholarship to a state college that afforded me not only the academic foundation to follow my dreams of being a doctor, but also exposed me to a more diverse community and world view. I hope that my children also seek higher education, and I will encourage them to strongly consider their state schools!
Getting postsecondary credentials from North Carolina’s public universities or community colleges has a far-reaching impact on all of society. It allows for social and upward mobility, improves the economic well-being of communities, and can change lives for generations, helping to break the cycle of poverty. Everyone does not have to want to be a doctor, like me, but if they want to get an education, they should be supported in doing so.
Every year, it seems like our access to education is threatened for our most at-risk students. Did you know that North Carolina is one of three states that actually mandates in its constitution that all of its citizens should be provided with affordable higher education? Seriously, our state constitution reads: “The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of the University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.”
This is why I support the Higher Education Works Foundation in their belief (and actions) supporting the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue higher education. It is our responsibility to keep the North Carolina higher education systems well-funded, affordable and accessible so that North Carolinians can get valuable higher education credentials. We must be diligent in our efforts because the future of our children’s educational opportunities depends on us! Because of this, it’s important for us to require our legislators to provide adequate financial support for our systems of higher education!
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#HigherEdWorks #CollectiveBias
#HigherEdWorks #CollectiveBias
