The Voice of Doubt: Addressing the barrier of educational inequity.

Michelle (12 yrs, top right) with two of her younger siblings, Ashley (11, top left) and Britney (6)

“There is that little voice inside your head that tells you, ‘you can’t make it.’”

Despite being a confident and impressively articulate 12 year old, Michelle Jimenez didn’t hesitate to share how self-doubt can creep into her brain when it comes to seeing her educational dreams come true.  Michelle went on to explain that her dream of becoming a lawyer might face adversity both personally and academically. But her desire to go into law is driven by an internal conviction to “help those who may be innocent and/or wrongly accused.”

Her older brother Christian is the first to go to college in their family and is currently finishing up his business degree.  He has been an inspiration to Michelle and her younger siblings as they dream about their future.

“I would love to go to Cal State Fullerton like my brother Christian, because I think getting my bachelors degree would give me more opportunity.”

This is the case for many in the Garnet & Maple neighborhoods, education can lead to increased opportunity and Michelle and her family are doing their best to take every opportunity given to them.  Yet access to the tools, resources, mentorship, and an understanding of how to navigate higher education’s systems are not always available to every student.

Two things that have made a tremendous impact on Michelle’s academic goals are (a) her relationships with positive adult role models and (b) having a safe and encouraging learning environment.  When asked how Teen Center has helped her pursue her dreams of becoming a lawyer, Michelle responded “Zoe & Tim [Teen Center leaders] helped me to have a positive mindset about finishing my homework, making it fun.” She goes on to say, “maybe when I go to college, I will still view my homework as fun.”  

Even at an early age, Michelle seems to already recognize what it takes to follow her dreams and is currently preparing for the possible future barriers that might inhibit her ability to thrive academically. Michelle is one of those young women whom it is impossible to not root for. In the first five minutes of meeting her you recognize her sincerity, potential, and - maybe most importantly - drive to help others who find themselves in a difficult place in life. 

Whenever that voice inside Michelle’s head might start saying “you can’t make it,” she will have a community surrounding her, cheering her on, letting her know she has what it takes to make it.