It is often surprising for me, at this point in my life- as a CEO of a thriving non-profit, an attorney, and a mother to three very active children- to look back and realize how easily none of this could have been mine. On paper, it shouldn’t have been. I came from a family where even in my generation, a high school diploma is not the norm, and in the generation before mine, a rare exception. A person’s physical ability to do work was valued way more than their intellect, and wanting more was viewed as “getting above your raising”. Reading was seen as a waste of time, and if I was bound and determined to do something with my life, well, there were certain acceptable jobs for “someone like me” {read: a bossy, rebellious girl}. I could be a “secretary”, work retail or hospitality, or maybe even teach if I could find “one of those positions where they paid off your college for teaching in certain underperforming districts”. Like some of the schools I went to…
And even all of this was deemed a pipe dream when I found out I was expecting a child of my own before I started my senior year of high school. That was nearly 18 years ago, and still today only slightly 1% of teenage mothers achieve their college degree by the age of 30, so I can understand why others may have thought my dreams were unattainable. However, I saw things very different. Having a child became a motivating factor rather than an obstacle. Education was the one way I knew I could provide the type of life my child deserved. It was also the way to have the type of career I yearned for, one where I could make an impact and be a part of changing the things that tried to hold me back. I understood, on some unconscious level, that my own education would directly influence the way my child viewed school and saw their future. Thankfully, one quality I happily inherited from my family is stubbornness and a desire to do those things I am told I could not or should not do. I started college with the rest of my graduating class. Earning my bachelors degree while working full time and raising two children became great preparation for the chaos of law school. Law school became the foundation of my ability to navigate through professional life in our fair city, and the totality of all my circumstances taught me how to view all challenges as opportunities and to always be open to all experiences without prejudgment. Education was the agent of change for me.
As my oldest prepares to go to college next year- AND as he has never thought for one minute about any other reality- I also know it is the change for the next generation of my family….I am so grateful for each hard lesson I have learned, for all of it has brought me to a place where I can passionately advocate and work towards a city where education is an option for all who seek it. My story, it is not so different from the story of those I serve. Education matters.
-by Jen Walters
