This year for Thanksgiving we want to share with you one of the many things we are thankful for - our education. This short series includes reflections from many various Starfish supporters on why they are thankful for your education. We encourage you to read these reflections and also reflect on your own education. Read our first reflection below and comment, What part of your education are you most thankful for?
True confession: I was part of the planning committee that decided it would be a good idea to have some friends of Starfish write blogs about why they are grateful for their education; it seemed like an easy way to tie together what we do and the current holiday and just seemed like low hanging fruit. I have been staring at a blank computer screen intermittently for the better part of the morning, it turns out that explaining why I am thankful for my education is like trying to explain why I am grateful that there is oxygen in the environment. Ironically, I have spent this semester limping across the finish line of getting my masters, so this thankfulness exercise is much needed.
I did not understand how passionate my parents were about education until I was a junior in high school. My brother was in his second year of college studying fine arts at a state university. He had landed a job doing the framing on multi-million dollar houses and making “good money”, he informed my parents that he was going to quit school because he could make more money working (isn’t it always true that you can make more money working full-time than you can being a college student?). They informed him that he would take one class per semester until he graduated or died, whichever came first; He decided to take two classes a semester. I never remember a conversation about my future with my parents, it was just always implied that I would go to college. In 10 days I will become the first person in my family to obtain a master’s degree. I want to also be clear that education does not necessarily mean just formal education. It pleases me so much that as of late, many colleges and universities have understood the importance of sending their students abroad and also pushing their comfort zones. Some of the crown jewels of my education were delivered in Xhosa at a senior citizen’s center in the townships outside of Grahamstown, South Africa.
Abraham Maslow, a famous psychologist created a hierarchy of needs positing that you cannot fulfill any needs on the pyramid until the ones below it are satisfied—it’s pretty straightforward if you don’t have food, clothing, and shelter you cannot/do not worry about love and belonging. I always count myself lucky that despite growing up poor, I did not have to worry about the basics and had the time and space to flourish in the classroom. Only recently have I left education—after graduation with my B.A., I worked in education, then went back to school full-time.
I now have a corporate job working in a blue collar environment and I am grateful for my education because it helps me empower others. It is fairly well known that I used to work in admissions and so I have spent a lot of time counseling employees on whether or not getting a degree is the right decision for them. Beyond that I do a lot of volunteer work with a youth leadership organization; I just had the pleasure of spending 5 days in Asheville, NC with some of the most motivated and intelligent young adults you will ever meet. They were there because they have the will to change the world and after attending the academy the resources as well. I volunteer for my alma mater and each year teach part of the curriculum for the alumni mentor retreat. I do lots of consulting throughout the year. I am an amateur photographer and help others capture their lives and emotions for years to come. All of these things are possible because of the education I’ve received and the body of knowledge I strive to enlarge every day. I’m thankful for my education because it empowered me to rise above and allows me empower those around me to never stop learning and growing.
Written by Anna Jordan, Starfish Development Manager
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