"Resilience, courage, and grit". The three qualities that first generation students have! I know for a fact that because of the disadvantages that first gen students have gives them more motivation to succeed. Atleast for me, I know that I have found my motivation and purpose through my back round. They have given me a reason to push myself in order to get ahead and conquer in my life. The disadvantages that my family has endorsed is not their fault and the position that I am in is for a reason.

In my elementary and middle school English classes, we were given this poem to analyze and study. Our teachers would emphasize how every single student in her classroom was a rose and the world was the concrete. Now that I am older I understand more how cruel the world is. I notice that I have been through obstacles where the world tries to bring low income students down or simply not support them so they are not able to grow.

"Hope too long deferred is hope denied". I agree but I also disagree. I know that when hope is lost there is always a bit left in the back of ones mind. Well atleast for me there is always a possibility in a sense. At the end of the day though, I do understand where MLK is coming from, because eventually when you keep on getting denied your hopes and dreams then it loosing hope is part of acceptance. At times acceptance is the only way you are able to live.

Yes this is true. Since he is the first African American President we have throughout all US history, that alone is so much progress on its own. His framework of become the hope to America was very affective for the public. What really helped his image and reputation as well would be the First Lady (Michelle Obama). This is because she was also very educated and sophisticated. She made an effort to use the media and set examples of healthy lifestyles for the younger generation. Which is hope for the future.

This is exactly what I was referring to. The teachers offering extra assistance is essential for establishing relationships. Implementing collaborative ways of learning amongst other students is also very important for students because this way they are able to collaborate with friends which motivates them to interact socially to improve their performance.

Personally, I believe that a high quality teacher is someone who constantly checks up on you when they notice your performance and motivate you to do better. They are also willing to offer opportunities in order to grow not only as a student but as an individual outside of academics. I had this experience with my AP US history teacher. Because of her flexibility and effort to get to know me as a person I was able to strengthen my confidence and performance,

I agree, I believe that standardized testing are extremely unfair because they "limit" opportunities for students. For example, when the text emphasizes "undeserved schools" they are referring to underfunded schools where they do not have enough money to provide students with example: SAT tutors in order to prepare the students to academically match similar standardized test scores for students who attend prestige and wealthy schools.

Yes there is! I have a certain friend who I am so proud of. Her name is Blanca Godoy and she has beat and is continuing to beat the odds of conquering poverty, She lives in Lynwood, but would take three buses just to get to a semi better high school. Because our high school did not offer opportunities she went out of her way to seek for her own. She even got me to inter at a law firm in the summer in DTLA and now she will be studying abroad in Spain.

I think this is very good advice. Priotitiing builiding relationships with students before and during teaching is extremely beneficial for the students. In college I have heard stories about how professors have given students opportunities and connections all because of a bond that they formed. In the end you never know who might impact your life drastically It may be a student or a teacher. We just all need to make the effort to form relationships.

Yes this is true, I feel as though this applies especially to my high school principle. When he had the opportunity to stand for inequality pay for the teachers opposed to the administrators who get paid more he stood with the admins. At the end of the day some people just choose to look out for themselves and the career that they chose is not meant for them

I remember reading about this in the media. I remember thinking how any father would do the same. I remember the comments being full of support for the black man because of the horrifying act that the daughter was a victim of.

Because my school was majority latin-x I did not witness this happening. Since there was no diversity there really wasn't any occasion in which you were able to see the indifference in treatment. However, now that I am in college and of course beeng exposed to the media really helps you get out of the bubble that you live in an see how racist and crew this world is.

This is true, I believe that there must be a sense of trust and comfort in order for students to feel comfortable sharing. Especially with certain topics. Once I came to college specifically in this class I noticed how easy it was for the students to willingly share their vulnerable experiences. Although I do not verbally share them, I feel more comfortable sharing and participating in this class than I do in other courses and I think that it is credited for the teachers positive attitude and ta's contribution.

I believe that especially as high school students, I had a better sense of learning when the teacher would treat the students like adults and with respect. This is because I had trust in the teacher and respect overall instead of resentment and frustration. I believe that as students we should feel comfortable expressing our concerns and the way we would like to be treated but is is the fact that we are in a lower position often prevents us for speaking up because of the authoritative power.

I believe that as much as students are attaining an education and learning from teachers. Personally, I believe that students also have a great impact for teacher in the k-12 education system. I have had teachers that my little cousins also have ad they are always asking for me. As a child I was very energetic and I found myself liking to hang out with my teachers because of all the questions I would like to ask them. The truth is I just really liked getting to know the teacher on a personal level because I would feel a sense of joy and comfort with the person I was learning from.

I find this very inspirational. It is amazing when you use your trauma in a positive light to help others avoid the trauma that you experienced. Although I am not Asian, I have friends who have also mentioned how conservative there grandparents are. My asian American friend once told me that if she came out to her grandparents, then they would have a mental breakdown. I feel as of though it is the older generation that it mostly conservative that is with all races.

Yes I agree! It is so dehumanizing when people refer to LGBTQ individuals as if there is something wrong with them. As if they are not "real people", and need to be "cured". I remember in an epidose from shameless where they try to "cure" Frank for pretending to be gay. They even paid him to stay at a hotel and try to make him change his sexuality.

This reminds me of the old YouTube videos I have watched where people have "came. out" as a whole event. I feel as of though we have progressed into a society where older people have became more accepting because gen-z people have been educating the conservative generation. Also the media overall, now the new generation has done a good job advocating for LGBTQ rights and overall keeping up with activism.

I agree that these topics need to be addressed and predators of sexual assault need to be held accountable. I feel as of though in my high school, there were only bullying prevention assemblies, but those were never taken seriously by the students because the teachers would also contribute to the bullying. As a female in these college male dominant spaces, it is intimidating at times to see all the men in one room because at the end of the day although they are all your friends you never truly know who they are and what there intensions are. That is why I always keep my walls up and no matter if they are the kindest people, its always very important to set boundaries in order to feel comfortable in a male dominant space.

Going into UCI I never would have thought I would challenge myself to join these male dominant spaces because I always felt safer with women and also heard as a person. I have had experiences with men where they view me as an object opposed to a human with a brain and thoughts. Now that I am here at UCI, working as one of the only female refs has been more challenging. For example, at times when they are all discussing surface level conversations and I chimb in. They look at each other and give confusing looks and laughing. As if whenever I open my mouth is a joke. I have also had a guy once told me I was a joke. I have had men call me too skinny, that I should eat, and "for a girl" sentences. I'm so tired of all these men thinking they have any right to comment on female's body or them as a person. Most of these experiences have now been in college because I have been surrounding myself in these male dominant spaces, but instead of avoiding them all my life I'm learning how to challenge there views and language as well as making myself a stronger women because I am doing these things to step out of my comfort zone.

I attended a school where it was 97% hispanic and this derogatory vocabulary was very common. I would hear mostly guy's bullying guys by saying words like "fag" and "that's gay". I feel as of though these comments are so common in my high school that it became normalized and no one would call out the language. I feel ashamed admitting this, but I never stood up to one of the guys because my father always told me to only fight my battles and no ones else. What I didn't realize is that as an ally and part of society as a whole those are my battles to fight as well! Now that I am in college I have learned to confront the people who say those comments, privately so they understand the severity of this language.

Although I am very proud of my culture and the values they cary, the hispanic culture can be very toxic and conservative. This is mainly because of religion. I grew up being raised catholic, so I grew up reading the homophobic versus of the Bible and when you grow up with all the older people teaching you what god want's and what's right and what's wrong you feel as of though there is something wrong with you. When in reality, you should feel no guilt or shame for loving someone no matter what gender or sex they identify as.

This is true, growing up with girl and boy cousins. I noticed the differences of gifts we were gifted during Christmas, For example the boys would always be given cars or monster trucks and the girls would always be given barbies or playful makeup. I remember when I received a Malibu barbie and my little boy cousin really liked my barbie and he asked me if he could play with it. I remember handing it to him and he was so amused and entertained by it, but eventually his father got upset and smacked his hand off of the barbie.

This reminds me of elementary school when the teachers would divide us to play girls against the boys and there was an immediate sense of tension and competition to see which gender was better. I remember even now I feel like these experiences have shaped me into becoming a more competitive women and supporter for girls supporting girls. I feel as of though because I also grew uo with females around me, I am a big advocate for feminism.

I have noticed this now that I am in college the change of atmosphere is a bit different in a positive way. It makes the environment much more open and comfortable to share. Opposed to in high school where you feel as inclined and nervous to raise you hand because everyone will be waiting until the teacher calls on you and sometimes when they choose to ignore you its embarrassing. Shouting out the answer brings a much more open and affective conversation!

In elementary school, I was much more of a outgoing and confident when speaking out loud. I would always participate when I knew the answer or when I wanted to share or elaborate on a reading that was being discussed. I loved to present my projects and dances. However when I ended up preforming for my fifth grade talent show, my teacher came up to my mother and said that I was going to get bullied in middle school because of how happy of a child I was. Which didn't make sense to me because I though I was going to get bullied because I was weird. But as years went by, I begun to understand that there are many adolescents who are going through difficult times at home and they are miserable. They are not content with there own lives to they choose to target the one's who are happy in what they do for example dancing. Once I got to middle school, I begun to notice who supported and who teased me. I became a much more quite kid to the point where when I joined dance in high school I quit because I did not want to have any eyes on me. Any one talk about me. I stuck to my small group of friends and looking back it was the best decision I made because even the people in the dance team would not be the best teammates. However I do regret making them the reason why I quit dance. Now that I am in college I hope to get back into dancing and put myself out of my comfort zone again! Because putting yourself out of your comfort zone really does help you grow as an individual.

Gender discrimination. In the Latino culture, there is this toxic mentality called "machismo" and It stands for men believing they are above women as well as bashing men for expressing their emotions. Machismo affects men as much as it affects women and because it is also implemented into the culture, some of the traits have become a "cultural norm" for example the idea that women should cook and clean for the husband. During quarantine I taught myself how to cook, and once I was able to make more then 10 meals and flip a tortilla de Mano my mother and grandmother would make comments like "Mira ya se puede casar ". Meaning since I know how to prepare a meal than I am able to get married because that would mean I would be able to cook for my husband. Which is a Latin-x joke for some, but there are still people like my grandparents who truly believe it.

This is the sad reality. Pretty privilege is real and there are certain teachers who really emphasize this when interacting with different students. This is also shown in the media, for example in Legally Blonde, when Elle Woods got accepted into the case, the professor confessed to her that he was interested in her appearance and not her mind,

I am so glad that we are learning about this topic because it is one of the most unspoken assumptions that are stereotyped with the Latin-x culture. I feel as of though the media has portrayed "Latinas" to only be seen for the appearance and sex appeal. When I was in high school there was one day in homeroom where I decided to wear shorts because it was 98 degrees in CA and so I walked to get my breakfast and one of the guys in my homeroom class made the most sexist comment that I will never forget. He said "wow Miriam with those shorts it's like your asking for it". I froze I didn't know what to say or how to react I just remember leaving the classroom after I turned to the teacher and she said "yeah he's right you look naked cover up". I was wearing a baggy shirt on top of the shorts, but the shirt had been tied and I let it loose because my rubber band broke. Back then I would use that exuse. I would blame it on myself when in reality no one should ever say "you are asking for it", it is degrading and humiliating and should never even be a thought.

I have been thin most of my life because I have a fast metabolism and it has been difficult for me to gain weight. I believe it is also because I have always been an active child. I have always played soccer since the age of 7 as well as dance. As I have grown older I have set body goals for myself that include gaining muscle as well as weight. I have began to lift weights at the gym, but I have gotten comments from my father saying "don't hit the weights so much because you will get bulky". It is upsetting because they believe that a women should not look strong enough because they will not look feminine. Which makes no sense especially from a male saying this because it is not their body.

Looking at yourself in the mirror and not picking at your insecurities is almost inevitable for a teenage girl. In fact, it is an instinct and group impulse when hanging out with your friends at the mall and you all run into a mirror. There are just so many beauty standards one must meet: small nose, big lips, big eyes, small ears, clean eyebrows, healthy hair, long neck, sharp jaw, flat stomach, big hips, small waist, big butt, big boobs, small calves, thigh gaps, long torso, petite shoulders, small forehead, and many more features that are impossible to attain. This beauty standard is toxic for the mental health of teenage girls. The ongoing trendsetters through social media, magazine covers, mannequins, movie stars, etc drives females to want to look a certain way to achieve self-satisfaction with their appearance. It causes teenage girls to compare themselves and want to change because they do not fit the “beauty standard”.

Growing up in a low-income high school where every one of your friends had no care for school it was difficult to find the motivation to excel in my academics. The saying "you are who you hang out with" is very real! I did not believe this until I caught myself reflecting on my chances of getting into a UC in my sophomore year of high school. Once I found my new group of friends who motivated instead of distracting me. I found that you surround yourself with is a representation of who you are. I became interested in my AP classes and community college classes which helped me excel in my academics and my intellectuality overall.

This was always one of my struggles when it came to parents teacher conferences. Thankfully majority of my teachers were hispanic, but there were a few who were not hispanic (probably 3 or 4) and they would ask me to translate, but unfortunately back in middle school I did not know how to translate every single word so it was a bit more difficult to communicate how well or not so well I was performing.

As a Latin-x students who attended the public k-12 education system in Los Angeles I feel a bit like a failure to my own community. This is because with stories like these and movies/shows like "In the Heights", there are unfortunate personal stories based on the struggles of not having papers. I feel as of though because all my siblings and friends have papers I have trouble of feeling connected to my community because I am not fully aware of all the disadvantages. If I am not fully aware then how am I able to make a change or impact my own community? The first thing I can do is to educate myself and become more informed. This is one of the reason why I am taking this class!

Unfortunately this is a common reality that keeps undocumented students away from succeeding. The disadvantages that come from not having papers prevents students from getting college benefits, job benefits, and etc. I have a cousin who graduated from UCLA, but she has not been able to land her dream job due to her lack of papers and family situation. She currently works at target working full time to sustain her situation.

I believe that in person school extremely essential and more affective than online school. This is because like the text says it is "meaningful and enduring". It helps children socialize which helps them learn about mannerisms as well as lessons. It makes the children more prone to succeed and happier due to more connections and experiences.

I believe this is true because I have seven uncles and aunts on my dad's side and each of my uncles have two children. All of my cousins are children of immigrant parents. All of my best friends are children of immigrant parents as well as 90% of students in my high school.

For my parent's, they came to America in hopes that there future sake will forge into "common destiny" for future generations. By the time my mother arrived she was pregnant with my sister and my father was working two jobs to save up for an apartment. Looking at the past, they shared that they were struggling but happy. Happy that there daughter would be a US citizen that would be able to grow up with more opportunities and be bilengual. My sister and I are now in college and are working hard so our parents sacrifices will be worth it!

I resignate with the working class more I believe. I did not have access to technology other than a Television growing up so I am very thankful to have endorsed those physical activities. On of my favorite would be going on bike rides with my father. Playing outside with my cousins (soccer) which helped me become a better player as well as watching Novelas with my mother.

I feel as of though, being poor teaches you the the beauty of life because you get to appreciate the little things. For example growing up with no technology made me look forward to Saturdays spending times with my family at the park playing sports. Bike rides, volleyball games, carne asada's. When it came to the movies it just made me savor those memories even more.

Iv'e never understood why people have the need to bash other people because of there economic status. It's one of the most lowest points you can go. I know some people believe that money is everything but its not. Money does not determine who you are as a person. Money will satisfy who you are as a person and It will not fulfill your life because eventually you will want something that money can't buy. Making fun of someone's situation serves no other purpose than just finding ways to bring other people down.

This is was especially shown when Covid arised. The economic/social classes were extremely divided and everything seemed to get worse for the poor and no help was given immediate help. Instead the vaccines were given based on social status. Which goes all the way back to how titanic survivors where majority wealthy and rich.

I really hope that the author's enthusiasm reaches the right audience because this is one of the biggest reasons why I am here at UCI. I believe that embracing a new mission brings so much hope for so many students who are struggling with poverty, gangs, and violence. I currently have a friend at UCI, his name is Juan and he has shared his difficult past with me and it is one of the most motivational stories I have heard. It all began when we were discussing our extra curriculars that got us to UCI and when he shared that he did not have any, and shared that he just wrote about his life in his personal essay's it really goes to show how the accepting committee saw potential in him and so many more.

One of the biggest factors I have unfortunately endorsed in my brain would be lack of mental health help. I have grown up in a low income household, so I was raised to believe that my problems were important because there are more important struggles that the family as a hold is dealing with for example the bills. I am aware that this is not healthy but sometimes there is no other option but to dismiss your problems in order to help someone else!

When I came to Irvine this was one of the biggest changes I noticed. Back home there are mainly factories, fast food restaurant, and liquors. When I came to Irvine I was in shock because of how much beauty it contains due to all the green. I am so blessed to have been accepted here but when I see these difference it upsets me because I know that my older family members did not have the opportunity to see this.

There was a small portion of my life where I got to experience the effects of poverty. It was my sophomore year in high school when my mother had to move back to Mexico due to a family loss. Eventually my father had to go back as well and it was only my sister and I living with my grandparents. It was also a very emotional time due to the family lose but overall the situation worsened and we struggled to provide for ourselves. Thankfully my other family relatives were a big help to us so we were never completely alone.

I attended a low income high school and when quarantine first transitioned everything online it was a very much needed break. Not until the break got extended that everything began to feel so pointless. The students (including me) lost motivation to continue trying hard in our academics if we did not see a clear path into how our senior year was going to go. Moreless it felt like there was more important things happening in the world than our ongoing assignments that just kept on piling up.

I relate this! I am the type of person who hides there feelings instead of sharing their trauma. I had one racist incident where I went to go do my nails with my other hispanic friend but her skin tone was also pale. The nail tech's asked us what race were we and when we both said hispanic he then went to insult my skin tone and compare us. I didn't pay too much attention to it but I realized that it was not appropriate.

Going into elementary school as an ELC student, I struggled to pass the English exam. I was one of the last students to get my English certification. At that time I wasn't aware I was placed into that program. I though my English was perfect fine but due to the fact that Spanish was my first language I guess I can understand how that would work. Thankfully I never got teased by white students because my elementary was predominantly hispanic.

I feel as of though a lot of the times as latin-x students we struggle to maintain their word. For example, I for one say I want to change the stereotypes and teach children the whole truth of their own history. However, I do not want to be a teacher. I wanted to educate myself so I am able to impact the world but how much of the world will I really impact if I am not going to be a teacher?

I agree, in order to change education for our future children. We must learn how to unlearn the practices of racism. We must learn where racism comes from in order to heal the world. Instead of dismissing or making jokes about the stereotypes that each culture has, we must learn where it means to destroy these blinders.

One of my fellow black teachers in high school discussed about her lack of feeling accepted for who she is by her own family relatives. For example, she shared that her dad's side of the family is black and that her mom's side of the family is white. She confessed that she believes that her dad's side of the family does not fully accept her because she's "not black enough" and her mom's side of the family believes "she's not white enough".

I feel as of though the American Beauty standard interferes with what is actually beautiful. For example, the beauty standard has always been pale skin, colored eyes, and petite body type. This has been shown in Barbie dolls. So if a child grows up playing with these dolls and seeing commercials and social media about what society praises. they will automatically think they are not considered "beautiful" and will struggle to find beauty with themselves. It is a sad reality and must be changed!

This is true, I feel as of though as an adolescent I never really got the assurance I needed to figure out what my background is in high school. This is because as a high schooler you are taking US history which just consists of white history. It is important to understand your backround/roots because it helps you come into play with how to use this as an advantage. For example I took a chicano latino class here at UCI and so far, I have learned so much about my ancestors and grandparents. This allowed me to understand why I am in the place I am currently.

When I read "mixed elementary schools", it makes me wish I was able to attend a more diverse school. I feel left out because of the fact that I did not get to interact with diverse students until I got to college. So far, it has been a bit difficult just because I'm used to only interacting with Latinos, but I have experience steoryptical comments every now in then mostly from males.

I recall in my high school where 97% of the students where Latin-x, but there was a small percentage of Arabs who would only sit with each other. I recall there was about 30 to 40 different small table who consisted of per latin-x students and there was about only 4 tables who had Arab girls and Arab guys. This was notible and everyone ackolodged it but no one would make a change. I guess it was not seen as negative, it was seen as understandable to due the fact that they feel more comfortable having to sit with people who relate to them and are able to understand and communicate with them in Arabic.

My hometown is east Los Angeles. I decided to dorm in college because the drive would have been more than an hour. However about two years ago my father decided to get a better paying job in Orange County. He now wakes up at 4am every day to drive to Orange County and get paid slightly better than his last job. He has been thinking of moving to Santa Ana so I am also able to commute next year, but it is a sad reality to think that the only place we know that we will feel accepted and are able to be financially stable would be in Santa Ana.

During my first quarter here at UCI, I'm not going to lie, I really missed my hometown street tacos from east la. It was not until I joined LBSA where I met multiple Latinos from Santa Ana and they shared that Santa Ana was the only place where you were able to find Latinos. Although segregation by law ended, the US is still segregated. Even within cities, even with in schools, social groups, and college clubs.

This is true, I feel as a first gen low income student I feel as of though professors don't reward or acknowledge how difficult it is to juggle two jobs, school, family, and my mental health. Sometimes I even struggle to finish assignments on time and I feel as of though professors are not as flexible because they do not share the same backround and struggles that low income students face.

This quote reminds me of how I felt through out my freshman vs my junior year in high school. Since I found myself hanging out with the wrong crowd my freshman year it was so easy for me to jump down and just not care about school. This has also to do with the fact that there was never a constant environment where adults were constantly motivating students to succeed. The reason why I started trying my junior year was because my friends began motivating me. It is true that you are who you hang out with.

I wanted to emphasize the privilege of having a access to a private tutor. This is because specially for the SAT's the education is made built to help high income students succeed due to the access of having the financial access to private tutors. I went to a low-income high school where there were 97% hispanic students and when it came to SAT tutoring. The school started to provide tutoring just one week away before taking the standardized test. Fortunately, I was accepted into an internship where I was able to obtain a scholarship and have access to a private tutor. If it wasn't for me actively seeking opportunities, the financial disadvantage would have affected me.

I wanted to critique the last sentence of this paragraph. I believe the author should have emphasized and elaborated more on how poor children are parented. I feel as of though the author should have focused more on how poor children have to mature much faster because they have more responsibilities to take into account. For example my father and his siblings began working in the fields in Mexico since the age of 9. They had to learn about product consumption, and exporting goods. Instead of going to school my father and his siblings had to learn how to make money in order for their family to be financially stable. Especially because of the fact that their father had moved to the US, and they did not have a father figure who was able to emotionally and financially support them and help them grow as individuals. So, yes I agree they are not allowed to grow in some aspects when you are referring to self actualization.

These expenses reminded me of my personal expenses in high school. Since I have played soccer since the age of 7, I really wanted to join the girls soccer team in high school. I also wanted to put this activity down on my college applications. However at that time, my parents were hesitate due to the cost of the uniform, banquette, and soccer equipment expenses. I understood our financial struggles so I found a way to make money. At the age of 14 I started my sandwhich business where I sold customized sandwiches and used that money to pay for my soccer expenses.

Based on my personal experiences. Economic disadvantages that my family has faced has actually brought us together opposed to impairing the quality of family relationships. For example when my mother had to move to Mexico due to a family loss, my father was the only parental household who was able to work and rent was becoming more of a struggle so my sister began working and my uncle and aunts contributed to our food situation as well as funeral expenses. I believe that economic disadvantages at times can also harm some families due to the misconnection they already have with each other, but with my family I have learned that no matter if you are in a difficult situation with someone, family is family and they will help you pick yourself up.

This ties back to income inequality. How the access of education allows for more job opportunities with help Alexander's parents to earn more income and use that income towards Alexander's education. Opposed to Anthony, who does not share the same opportunities that Alexander has. It is a sad reality that I have faced now that I am in college. Coming from immigrant parents, my parents did not have access to college. My father only completed middle school and my mother only completed elementary school. I feel so privileged to even be attending the University of California, Irvine, but I also realize that I did not have the same opportunities that other kids had in order to be accepted into this school.

That is one way of explaining how I felt when I took my poli sci class here at UCI. Besides culture, shock I have found myself lacking studying skills that no one taught me in high school. I have struggled finding ways to find approbate information for my essays and overall working with students who do not look like me. I found my self becoming intimidated by students who are non-hispanic due to me only attending hispanic school through out my whole life. I want to learn how to become more outgoing with diverse students and expand my horizons because in the real world, I will not only stay in my same little bubble.

Through my experiences with different professors at UCI, you can tell how much more passionate they are teaching then high school teachers. I can see the joyment on the professor's face when students participate and unmute themselves to talk/ask a question on zoom. It's sad to think that professors feel like students don't appreciate them when in reality most of the students are engaged into the class because they genuinely want to learn about the subject and it is much more helpful when the professor engaged more the students instead of just lecturing through a screen.

The fact is that some people are just born into low income life and it is very difficult to improve from due to the lack of support they have. Not only that, but the lack of support this anti-black world implements. It is a sad but true reality to think that many people believe that people are homeless for a reason. When in some cases the world just neglecs their presence and treats them in human.

I feel as of though the sociological imagination ties into this ideology. For example, instead of looking down on a student who is failing their classes, why not ask why a student would be doing that? What is the cause of a student failing their classes. I know that based on my experience, my sister began to fail her classes at cal state Fullerton because she had to start working more hours due to my mother having to move back to Mexico. Like the text says "school structure inequality" and this I realized especially when I was watching college application/expectances videos. It is a sad but true fact, when I realized that I do not have access to many clubs, or programs that these other students have and they are able to include it not their resumes.

At my first year at UCI, I have noticed very few latinos until I joined Hermanid Unidos. Which is an organization based on helping reduce the rates of Latinos dropping out of college. However, Hispanics still have higher rates of dropping out, but overtime I believe there will be improvement as there have been more students who have obtained a Bachlor's over the years.

I have attended public schools under the district of LAUSD, and I was not taught about the importance of civic action until I completed an internship in the Expanding Horizons Internship Program. In this program they focused on helping low income high school students flourish into becoming a better citizen by partaking civic action through getting people to register to votes, spreading awareness on social issues through social media, etc. I believe too, that the American public system is lagging the resources they need in order to help students flourish into what it means to be a good citizen.

"The American Dream" is different for every individual. For my parents who immigrated from Mexico to the US, the American dream was simply to gain the labor opportunities to maintain the family with shelter, food, and an education for their children. For them, America is seen as the land of opportunity and it is up to them to take advantage of those opportunities. However, for me the American Dream is to achieve an education that my parents were not given.