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The article from Carnegie.org follows the story of Kiki, who is the first person in her family to graduate from college. She used to type out her homework assignments on an old phone in the bathroom of the motel room her family lived in in order to graduate high school. The main reason she worked so hard for a college education was because she believed that this would help lift her family out of poverty.
Kiki and other college attendees will go on to earn an average of 84% more than average non-graduates. However, the large disparities in wealth and opportunity throughout the United States leads in unequal access to a college education. Affluent college students are significantly more likely to earn a college degree than less wealthy people. Nearly 90% of the top income quartile will earn a degree by age 24 but just 25% of students from the bottom half of the income distribution will do the same.
Marcy Gardner holds a master’s degree but is forced to work 30 hours a week as a waitress because she cannot find a job. She is among the bottom 25% of college graduates that only earn $2,000 a year more on average than a high school graduate. Gardner's story highlights that although a college degree often times provides a gateway into a more successful career, it is not a guarentee.
Jackie Sanchez is a young mother who dropped out of high school to take care of her two young children. After working very long hours at minimum wage for years, she went back to school to earn her GED and a bachelor's degree from DePaul University. This allowed her to begin working as a school teacher, which alleviated many of the family's financial burdens. Additionally, Sanchez's determination inspired her oldest daughter to attend college as well, breaking the family out of the poverty cycle.
The case studies above highlight opposing viewpoints about the value of a college education. On one hand, there is strong belief and evidence that obtaining a college degree allows individuals to propel themselves and their families out of the lowest socioeconomic class and into the middle class, as seen through Jackie and Kiki's stories. However, some college educated people still struggle to keep above the poverty line, as shown by Marcy's struggles. Additionally, access to a quality education disproportionately benefits the wealthy, where people of lower classes struggle to reach this step. The website will discuss the viewpoints and reach a final conclusion about the issue at hand and how the country as a whole can improve.
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