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Why I Want To Go To Paterson

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I laid my eyes on the shiny Longhorn’s Golden Ticket that I pulled out of the University of Texas at Austin envelope I received in the mail. In an archaic font, the letter read “Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this golden ticket. From the University of Texas at Austin! . . . This magical ticket will take you wherever you want to go–past, present, or future. Close your eyes, hold the ticket, and think about where you want to go. In your wildest dreams, you could not imagine the marvelous surprises that await you!”
Immediately, the first destination that came to my mind was Paterson, New Jersey, an impoverished and dangerous city. Ever since high school began, I have been going to Paterson to help out with the Relief Bus, an organization that works as a soup kitchen and a resource to help find jobs. Surrounded by crime, violence, poverty, Paterson is ranked the third worst place to live in the United States. However, these statistics fail to intimidate the vision I have–to change Paterson and help it become a city of potential where its recognized …show more content…

Instantaneously, I was brought to Rosa Parks Boulevard in front of the Relief Bus. Snow was falling and the sun had already set, as I looked inside the bus, employees and volunteers were packing up for the day. Coming towards the bus, a middle-aged African American man asked me for money. I told him I did not have any cash, and he walked right by me. Besides, I never give money to those who ask in this city because they often use it for drugs and alcohol. As I was making my way up the small stairs of the bus, something was pulling at my heart to go talk to him. My instincts took over my body and I turned around to chase after the man. When I finally got to him, I asked him if he was hungry and offered to buy him a meal. Thus, we made our way to Rosa Park’s Chicken, which was just around the

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