One of the main themes in the course that assigned this blog is education. Specifically, higher education and how it shapes everything in our world.
I’m a lifeguard at the SCU pool.
Kinda like this dude:
It’s not as glamorous as Baywatch made it out to be and most of the job involves sitting in a chair, but there are some perks that come with the job such as listening to NPR every morning while I work.
It’s a nice way to wake up and I’ve really come to enjoy it except for the brutal days where it’s rainy and 50 degrees. It’s peaceful and I love being informed on the happenings of the world.
One morning while I was listening, an ad for a movie starring Matt Damon came on. Damon was promoting his charity that brings clean water to towns in Africa. As a whole, the ad was pretty over the top and I nearly , tuned out… yet another celebrity trying to convince me that their charity is the most important. For some reason, though, I listened on.
Damon told a story of a young girl who had to walk miles before and after school to get water for her family. The girl was in school and extremely smart and driven, she wanted to be a nurse. Unfortunately, she had to take care of her house and gather water for her family. Her responsibilities were of the utmost importance, she and her family wouldn’t survive without her completing them – they conversely forbid her of furthering her education.
Damon explained that giving her village access to clean water allowed her to go to school and have a future.
I know this seems cliche, but it really made me think about access to education and how my opportunities educationally are a huge privilege.
I never had to walk miles to gather water for my family all the while trying to get good grades. I barely even had to do menial chores such as taking out the trash or doing the dishes. Even when I did have to do them, I rarely followed through. My life was and is in the grand scheme of things and compared to many others, undemanding, and I often take it for granted.
Sometimes I wish I could go back and yell at my high school self for not making the most of my incredible educational opportunity. I guess I’m writing this post in hopes to encourage readers to be aware and simultaneously appreciative of their privilege to have the opportunity to attend school. I write also to voice my frustration in regards to the fact that our educational system in America is rigged against the underprivileged.