Low Income Student Essay

1171 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: American education system

Being a first generation low-income student has had a huge impact on my education. It has presented as an asset and a challenge at UCI. Both my parents are first generation Americans with my father being born in Mexico and my mother born in Honduras. My father only has a third grade education and my mother has a sixth grade education. My parents don’t know English so it limited the amount of job opportunities they received in the United States. These conditions had my family and I grow up very low-income. My parents could rarely help my sisters and I with school since they have little knowledge about the education system here in the United States. My parents had no knowledge about receiving a higher education, which made my process of going to and attending college very difficult. My first year at UCI was a tough transition. I had little to no guidance and came into college not knowing what to expect. Unfortunately, this reflected in my grades. My GPA resulted at a 1.2 and I was on Academic Disqualification after my first quarter at UCI. I …show more content…

My experience as a first generation low-income student is what fuels my motivation to succeed. My struggles are the reasons I’m so driven in my education. I strongly believe that receiving a higher education is the only way to improve my life. I work hard every day to make ensure I’m successfully building a foundation for my future. Through my challenges, I’ve found my passion to help students strive personally, professionally, and academically at UCI. I‘m determined to become a foundation for students who come from similar backgrounds because I understand the obstacles that might arise and I can relay the wisdom and knowledge I have attained so I can help the individual. My choice of majors, the extracurricular activities I’m involve in, and anything I do reflects my passion of helping students strive at

Show More
Related

  • Social Work Essay Example

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am the product of divorced parents, poverty stricken environments, and a blended family, but I refuse to let that dictate the outcome of my life. At the age of ten, I had to assume the role of a fatherly figure to my three siblings, so I missed out on the typical childhood most would have had. I grew up in neighborhoods where gangs and criminal acts of violence were a pervasive occurrence, but I resiliently did not allow the peer pressures of others to force me to conform to their way of life. By the age of 15, I received my worker 's permit, and that allowed me the ability to help my mother financially in the absence of my father’s income. I worked the maximum amount of hours I could while balancing my academics and extracurricular school activities. I was a scholar athlete and triathlete in high school, and although I continuously faced much adversity, I still managed to be accepted to the University of California State, Bakersfield after I graduated from high school in 2005. Sadly, after

    Read More

  • Public Community Colleges : Creating Access And Opportunities For First Generation College Students

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everett pointed out the favorable circumstances provided by public community colleges which created access for first-generation students. She divided access into five categories: financial, geographic, programmatic, academic, and cultural/social/physical accessibility. She went on to elaborate the different ways in which these elements aided first-generation students in attending college. She concluded the article with a few challenges faced by first-generation students and the programs that were implemented to combat such challenges.

    Read More

  • Socioeconomic Status Essay

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    To examine the socioeconomic status of my study mother, Susan and assess whether she exhibits similar characteristics to other mothers in the same social class at a local, regional and national level. The effect of socioeconomic status on different aspects of pregnancy and childcare will be discussed.

    Read More

  • Homeless Essay

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    The homeless population in the United States does not only include the humans out on the streets, but also the ones in living in vehicles, emergency shelters, transitional housing, and other unstable environments. Over six-hundred thousand individuals are currently homeless in the U.S. In our current society, people often become homeless due to circumstances beyond their control. Humans often face abrupt personal and public challenges within their lives causing change and displacement in their housing status without notice nor a choice. In relation to personal reasons for homelessness, individuals who identify as LGBTQ and victims of domestic violence encounter many different situational problems leaving them displaced. Furthermore, there has been a sharp increase in unaffordable housing recently causing other people to suffer issues in a more public manner.

    Read More

  • Poverty Essay

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    What does it mean for someone to be on the lines of poverty or living in poverty? What is this word that is falsely used and missed analyzed? Poverty is the state of being extremely poor or being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount. In 2010, 16.4 million children, or 22.0 percent, were poor in the United States alone. (Tanner, 2014) The poverty rate for children also varies substantially by race and origin. If the rate of poverty continues to rise, will there be any hope left in humanity? The real question is not what is poverty but why is there so many people living in it. The ideal job of the government (federal and state) is to create a better/safer environment for the people. The model the “government” campaign is that everything they do is for the “benefit” of the people. When does the word “benefit” come into play when twenty-two percent of the population cannot supply a place for their children to sleep, put food on the table, and get a job that pays well enough to support their family. Are there any real benefits knowing families living in poverty have only one percent of a chance of getting out? Who is to blame? Where and how did this problem all start? What is this so called “government” doing to help stop the increasing rate of poverty? As you read this essay, it will explain what it means to be truly poor and why the government does so little to help. Include real stories from people living in poverty, what the government is doing to help (and if it’s enough), and is the problem of poverty becoming worst or slowly rising to become better.

    Read More

  • Child Poverty Essay

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the Children Defense Fund 1 in 13 children will live in extreme poverty in the United States and a family of four is extremely poor if their income is below 10,000 or half of the official poverty line. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data-repository/census/census-2007-child-poverty-data.pdf,). Despite being wealthy the U.S. . has the highest rate of child poverty among all the other countries. Poor children are more likely to go hungry and are less likely to be read to during their early years. They are less likely to have health insurance and needed care. Poor children are more likely to start school behind their affluent peers and are less likely to graduate high school. They are more likely to grow up as poor adults and become involved in the criminal justice system. A family of four's annual income must be lower than 23,000 to reach child poverty. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/documents/2014-SOAC_child-poverty.pdf(). Children in single parent homes were four times more likely to be poor than children in two adult families. Almost 70 percent of all children live with two parents.(http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data.) The south has the highest child poverty rate with 1 in 4 children compared to 1 in 5 children in the rest of the country. Growing up in child poverty can be a major effect on a healthy development for a child. Poverty and stress about finances can have an effect on children's cognitive development and their ability to learn. It can contribute to behavioral problems, social and emotional problems, and poor health. Living in poverty affects how a chil...

    Read More

  • Socioeconomic Status Essay

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socioeconomic status (SES) is often interpreted as the social class of an individual or group. It is often measured and determined as a combination of education, income, and occupation. These three categories often determine a person’s social position in regards to others. Globally, Inequality in wealth and other areas of life are increasing. Research over the years has indicated that individuals that identify as a member of the LGBT community are extremely vulnerable to being placed at a socioeconomic disadvantage. From a citizen’s standpoint control, privilege, and authority highlight socioeconomics. Molly’s journey to discover her gender and sexuality present a direct opposition for her to alter her socioeconomic status. The oppositions that hinder her are her defiance towards heteronormative roles, social discrimination, and discrimination in the workplace.

    Read More

  • Poor People Get Out Of Poverty Essay

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    This topic about helping poor people get out of poverty is a critical issue. Almost 800 million people across the globe, most of them children, live with hunger or malnutrition as a regular fact of life. They live in desperate poverty, which means they die younger than they should, struggle with hunger and disease, and live with little hope and less opportunity for a life of dignity (USCCB). Poverty poses a dramatic problem of justice; in its various forms and with its various effects, it is characterized by an unequal growth that does not recognize the "equal right of all people to take their seat ‘at the table of the common banquet' (Social Doctrine of the Church) ."

    Read More

  • Why I Want To Pursue A Career As An Educational Assistant

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    When I was born, my family had just migrated to California from Mexico. In a new country, my father worked in landscaping earning less than $4 dollars an hour, while my mother relied on public transportation to take her newborn child to and from doctor visits. In the land of opportunity, my family struggled to put a roof over our heads. But never discouraged, my parents sought to achieve their goals and worked tirelessly to raise my younger brother and I. From a young age, I was taught the importance of education; this became a major catalyst in my life. My desire to excel academically was not for self-gain, but my way of contributing to my family’s goals and aspirations.

    Read More

  • Poverty Essay

    1675 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poverty is a human condition characterized by the sustained or chronic deprivation of the re-sources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. It can also be described as a condition where people 's basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met like having little or no money, goods, or means of support.

    Read More

  • Homelessness Essay

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    ​American society today is epitomized by the growing divide between rich and poor. What is significant about this fact is that both ends of the spectrum are accelerating away from each other, with poor individuals sliding further still into the doldrums of poverty, while those that have enjoyed success in the past to a large degree continue to accumulate even larger sums of riches.

    Read More

  • Homelessness Essay

    1992 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many possible causes of homelessness, but this research will focus on the two main reasons, insufficient economic resources and affordable housing. Homelessness is primarily a poverty issue. People who become homeless have insufficient financial resources to obtain or maintain a living and a housing. This includes being unemployed, as well as being underemployed and being dependent on government benefits which does not cover the cost of basic living expenses. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that 75% of households at or below the poverty line are severely housing cost burdened. Unexpected financial crises threatens housing stability and can lead to an increased risk of homelessness.

    Read More

  • Essay About Homeless People

    1927 Words  | 4 Pages

    Growing up in the inner city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I’ve experienced my fair share of homeless people on the streets. It is of no surprise to me that this is a common trend in most major cities across the country. Moving to San Diego I didn’t expect that the streets would be completely free from homelessness but the magnitude of this glaringly evident issue was more than I could ever imagine. I was faced with an overwhelming reality of a city filled with shopping carts full of few belongings, pillows and blankets on the sidewalks, and more signs, held by the hands of utterly helpless people asking for just a little help, than I had ever seen before. Walking by fifteen people all in a row, sleeping like it was no big deal that their comfy bed to go home to every night was a concrete slab on 5th Avenue, made me wonder how these people got to this point and why there was no one there to help. Finding the source of glue keeping the homeless population stuck in their situation not only comes from a desensitized community, over-exposed to people living on the street, but also a lack of resources and willingness to help decrease homelessness and work toward preventing it all together.

    Read More

  • Homeless Children Essay

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Studies have shown a significant relationship between adolescent homelessness and mental illness. It is important to know that being homeless does not necessarily mean that you are living on the street. Per NHCHC, which is the National Healthcare for Homeless Council, a person is considered homeless when they have no permanent housing situation, are living in a shelter or other public place, have unstable living conditions, or living in the street. (NHCHC) There are a countless number of children and adolescents without a permanent residence, and this is a real problem for America. These children are dealing with dozens of different types of mental disorders, and learning disabilities,

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Poverty

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty is in our own backyard. Poverty isn’t turning around a globe and looking toward third world countries for an example. Poverty is everywhere. Poverty is the children down the street who go to bed hungry each night filled only with emptiness. Poverty is my neighbor who had her heat shut off this past winter. However I believe that poverty is preventable.

    Read More

More about Low Income Student Essay

Open Document