Personal Environmental Analysis: Middle-Class Lifestyle

From a young age, accomplishment is associated first with monetary gain and then with going to a good college. While my peers and I are currently fixated on the latter, Outliers has shown us there is no need to be. With Nobel prize winners coming from anywhere from MIT to Holy Cross and Stanford to Rollins (Gladwell, 81-82), success is not determined by the higher learning institution one chooses to go to, although it certainly does not hurt to attend a prestigious one. As I look to the application process I am deterred by many things that should send me towards success. Being a Caucasian, upper-middle class citizen, I am perhaps the most replaceable student in the world with thousands just like me, hoping for the same chance I look forward too. However, I feel it is what I have done in the summers that will set me apart. Karl Alexander realized that privileged students tend to ‘outlearn’ underprivileged children over the summer, something I am beginning to see more clearly. This past summer, I was fortunate enough to be part of the 6-percent accepted to the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes for Business and Entrepreneurship. It took only a few days to realize that I was the only true ‘white kid’. With the majority coming from Asian descent, the only other kid at the camp who may have been Caucasian came from a Panamanian family. As I noticed this, I realized

This advertisement features Arizona Cardinals all-pro wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, who “fulfilled the promise he made to his mother by completing his Bachelor in Communication at University of Phoenix. With perseverance, he has now become a role model to others who value higher education.” This is an extremely captivating ad, illustrating Mr. Fitzgerald’s desire to keep the promise he made before his mother’s untimely death, over a decade ago. The target audience for this commercial are adult learners and/or non-traditional students who, for one reason or another, have allowed “life to get in the way,” and did not initially complete their undergraduate degrees. The two elements that make this piece so compelling are one, that he is a world class athlete, and multi-millionaire, who, despite his wealth, took the initiative to finish his degree. Secondly, that honoring a promise he made, so many years ago, will also set the appropriate expectation for his own children. This ad is extremely persuasive, because it indicates, that no matter how busy someone gets, with the appropriate mindset and determination, anyone can complete their degree.

Obtaining a degree remains one of the most important pathways to economic and social class in the United States (U.S.), regardless of rising tuition costs and the value of having a higher education coming in to question. Of the 20.6 million students enrolled in a college or university, first-generation college students represents about one-third (The Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2012). These group of individuals are more likely to encounter academic, financial, professional, cultural, and emotional difficulties (Sanez, Hurtado, Barrera, Wolf, and Yeung, 2007).

For many years my mother and I relocated as many as three times a year and we depended on government assistance to keep us afloat. Upon moving to North Carolina and gaining financial stability I made it a personal goal to serve others just like me. The truth about where I came from is an essential key to determine where I will go, and so I share my story with everyone.During my junior year of high school I was inducted into the National Honor Society. During the induction I lit the candle symbolizing leadership. Unbeknownst to me I was creating my destiny and months later I became the President of my school’s chapter. Being a teenager there are but so many things I can do and I struggled to understand the fact that I cannot do everything-- not yet. I sought inspiration to handle my cognitive dissonance from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. who stated “If I cannot do great things, I will do small things in a great way.” As a future student, I dedicate every fiber of my being to embody Howard’s core values. I hope to serve as yet another representation of excellence and walk in the footsteps of many great leaders before me in the path to

In this unimaginable generation, we face many challenges to survive, but one challenge that is prevalent is student college debt intertwined with the expensive economy. The idea that a better and furthered education will bring you more success is why millions even make college loans an option. It is believed, that the two elements of education and employment coincide with one another. The idea of being employed is a necessity in modern day. There is a focus on getting an education to determine your success. Although attending school is appreciable, it also comes with its issues that make college appear as a trap; incognito in a sense. Dragging everyone down slowly like a leaf in quicksand. Young adults struggle with college debt, and financial barriers; by avoiding the economy’s false luxuries can prevent the occurrence of running into economic barricades.

Starting in high school, students are not given equal opportunities to excel because of family background. Furthermore, the admissions process itself has its flaws—legacies, minorities, and athletes are being chosen over exceptionally gifted valedictorians. Even after college, the problems do not end; possible joblessness and student debt are unavoidable. On top of these major problems, educators and parents continue to convince kids everywhere that college is the only option to become successful, and choosing another path is heavily looked down upon. The newest generation’s life is centered around the climax of college while at the same time, more and more students are unable to attend universities because of cost or rejection, but this is a paradox. The more high schoolers work hard, the more high schoolers will get turned down to their dream schools, and the more the college admissions process effectively become a lottery, leading to “many highly talented, brilliant, creative people thinking they’re not” (Robinson). The widespread college problem has no easy fix, nor does it have a single solution. Rather than working to fix the unfixable, adults must stop putting such emphasis on the college pathway, and instead stress that there are other options. The future of the job world is unknown; there is no way to know if an expensive college education is the right choice. College, with all of its flaws, is just one option in preparing for the future; it is not necessarily the best. Therefore, the single word, “college,” should stop dividing the academic from the non-academic or the successful from the unsuccessful, and instead be considered a single path in an array of worthy

In the 1960s, my grandfather Donald Horn was a successful businessman in the feed industry; he became successful and achieved wealth for himself and his family without the use of any college degree. However, this changed for my mother Melissa Horn because she did not know what she wanted to do to become successful and continue her father’s hopeful lineage, until she went to cosmetology school where she learned how to style hair while grooming her own future. But now growing up in the present era, I must complete more schooling if I want to attempt a career in medicine, along with the rest of the generation, to be able to accomplish some semblance of prosperity for my own future. It is evident that a transcendence between how generations

I reflect scholarship in my life by not only pursuing educational experiences that directly relate to my long-term career goal, but

In the fall of 2015, my twin sister and I started at Texarkana College. With the help of Texarkana College’s Presidential scholarship, we were financially able to set out to be the first in our family to graduate college. With finances always being a family struggle I grew

After college striking it rich, living in the mansion, driving the sports car seems to be part of everyone’s dream, and it’s also mine. But there is more than meets the eye. My future does not only selfishly involve me, myself, and I. One day I want a family where my kids grow up knowing that few things in life are just handed to you. Yet the things that are, passed down from generation to generation, should be respected as the gifts they are. Through my involvement in NHS,SNHS, and AP classes I have learned that with a hard work ethic one can achieve fulfillment and see that life is precious not only human life but also the earth we live upon.

When divorce and poverty strike a household, statistics show that a student’s potential can take the hit, but these events actually taught me to leap over any kind of hurdle I face. At the same time, my parent’s divorce and the Great Recession ate up our limited savings, and I was told my future dreams were no longer realistic, so college would be out of the question. Disappointed, I kept my nose to the grindstone to prove my parents wrong, and I found that my career is only limited by my work ethic, and I could succeed no matter what I was told I could do. My work inside and outside of the classroom made me an honored student at Howell High School and a volunteer recognized by the state of Michigan’s recreation department. Just as these plans

Samantha came from a hardworking, family oriented, working class of community involved family members on her father’s side. Her paternal grandmother, Joanne Smith, pushed her four sons to be respectful, always work for what you want to receive, and always remember where you came from, therefore, Samantha’s father Brian decided to get his associates degree in architecture with a full-time job at Glenmark Construction to attain a career and pursue to be a part owner of the business. Samantha also came from an east coast, working class, intelligent, Norwegian based family on her mother’s side. Her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Bensen, worked at a bank while her grandfather, Kenneth Bensen, worked in a laboratory that manufactured mechanical circulatory support for the heart and lungs called cardiopulmonary bypass. Kenneth and Elizabeth pushed their two children to achieve a higher education, never give up, and never disbelieve in the talent that is given to you, thus, Samantha’s mother Christine went to Indiana University for undergraduate and graduate school, receiving her Doctorate in Law to pursue a career in criminal justice as a chief prosecutor in the state of

America has transitioned from the land of unconditional opportunity to the land of predetermined success. However, this can’t be a surprise with by “2000, the top 1 percent of households holding more wealth than the entire bottom 95 percent” (Draut 21). This fact is still true today, with the top 1% holding, “35.6% of all private wealth” ("Facts and Figures in 99 to 1). Now the impact this has is, with attending college being the route to wealth more than ever, prosperity in United States is becoming a game only the privileged can play. “Nearly three quarters of students at the nation’s top 146 colleges come from families in the top quarter of the socioeconomic status (SES) scale” (Draut 48), leaving millions of Americans from reaching their full potential. It goes beyond race, even though lineage and class have a huge correlation. The fact that if you don’t have money in the United States from birth, your opportunities are significantly limited. This is proved with only 3% of freshman from the bottom quarter income bracket going to the top colleges (Colleges, American Association Of Community). A large reason for this is the fact that government funding for students college education has largely decreased with student loans/debt being more prominent. Added to this is the fact that many minority communities are still living with the repercussions of America’s white prejudice past.

Thompson started off harder dealing with getting into fights and abuse. She graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 2005 as a 4.0 student and she mentions how coming here really changed her life around. She started working for PWC and then switched to Deloitte as a Tax Manager. Five years from college, Akilah saw herself becoming a manager and passing the CPA Exam. She completed her goal of becoming a manager at Deloitte but was not able to pass her CPA Exam in the time period. She recommends that you take the CPA Exam early after graduation because the more years you wait, the more you forget the things you learned in college. Her plans five years from now are to become a multimillionaire, be on TV, have a best-selling book, and have travelled to 20 different countries. She believes that you should always speak positive things into existence. This means that you should always dream big. She also believes that you should do what you would do if you didn’t think that you could fail. This leads to happiness in life because you know you wouldn’t be stuck doing something that you didn’t want to

Environmental Impact of Personal Lifestyle: Behavior # 1 A major lifestyle behavior of mine that effects the environment is the over usage of water. Water waste is a problem for many people in their households. We can start conserving in our homes which most of our water is wasted daily and we do not pay attention to it. Water is used for daily activities such as taking a shower, brushing teeth, washing the dishes, etc. My personal problem is over usage in the shower, I like to take at least a 30 minute shower. Another major problem is when I let the water run when I am brushing my teeth.