I was born in Manhattan NY and raised in South Jamaica Queens NY. I was put up for an adoption at 15 months and placed with an African American family. Being brought up in a black neighborhood was pretty rough for a white girl. The area I live in was hard to make friends because children assumed I through I was better than them because I had long hair and I dress nice and I talked without using curse words. When it came to high school my father decided to allow me to go to attend school in a town called Forest Hill and the name of my High School was called Forest Hills.
I would have to say that the location of my high school shaped my life in many ways one being that racist still exist but not shown on the outside. I recall one day cutting class and going home early and some students walked by me and told me I did not belong there. Another time was when I watched some African American student get jumped by some white student. I have also seen African American students do some harmful things to white students as well.
One of the things that bother me the most was when people would say what school do you attend and I would say Forest Hills High School and their respond would be man oh man how did you get into that school because it is a pretty wealth school designed pretty much for smart student. I will have to say that was the roughest years of school but the next three years were amazing. Well my school was located in a rich town so the parents would live there had money to put in for the students so that we would have the necessary resources to receive an education.
I recall one time we needed new computer for our science lab and students spoke up and the following year we receive apple products for school. In high school I played on the basketball team, track team and I did a lot of science projected which required me to be on the road a lot. My father divorced my adopted mother and decided to get custody of all his children which that did take place but what hurt the most is because my father was a working middle class he did not have time to come to all my basketball games or track meet or to even see me present some of my science project.
I knew that my father had a job but it really broke me down because he was not able to attend these function and his job gave him a hard time to even get off when he did had a chance to do so. I believe that my race play a major role in my education because it taught me to be color blind and to just love all people. I did get pick on because I was lighter and I had long hair and my father always made lunch for me to bring to school.
I was brought up Muslim as a kid and my father would come up to the school to sign me out to practice my faith and I did not want that because I knew students would make fun of me because I was a Muslim and would think negative toward me so when I got into the 11 grade I told my father I will not want to be signed out school on Friday’s and he asked me why and I told him because students would tease me when I would use a scuff to cover my hair and he went to the school and at times the school did not do much about students making fun of me it was a really rough time for Muslim student.
Eventually I branched out of my faith because I did not really understand it and my father did try teaching me but I was not connected. I decided to try a Christian group that was part of my school and students still made fun of me because I was trying something new. I did not care what others said this time around because it was for me and not my father. Yes I was tacked. I was put in special education classes because I was delayed in my speech.
I recall in Junior High School being place in Miss 5 which was a section in Special Ed and the status was that student who were place in this class will not never make it above 5th grade level and that we were too stupid to make it into the real world and was not capable of going to high school. Someone as looking out for me I had a teacher name Miss Zampty was studying to become a teacher and she needed to do a project on the growth of a child education and she decided to pick students and I was one of them.
She taught me how to read and write it took a lot of work and dedication to help me out because I was not catching on to a lot of things by writing it on paper but mentally I had it all together. Eventually I was retested to come out of that class and be placed in Miss 1 where I was able to go to high school and receive a high school education. So in positive way someone saw something in me that I did not see and neither did my family.
I was really happy that things were turning around for me My high school education was pretty much me finding the right skills I can use and I was always good in science and math so my teachers looked at that and ran with it to make sure I am not aware of other student tacking but I can believe it is possible to happen. I was always told by my adopted mother that I would never make it into college. She said I would never make it in life and how I was stupid.
I am so happy that my father is no longer with this person. When it comes to my father he supported me in my education and told me that I can do whatever I wanted as long I put my mind to it. I recall telling my father that I wanted to be a doctor and he gave me his full support he did not want to see me struggle in that area of my life. When I told teachers that I wanted to go to college they told me that I can do it and told me that if I ever needed help to come back to them and they will give me a hand.
I am a returning college student and I lost my job in 2011 and that was when I decided to get the rest of my education because I knew if I wanted a family that I needed an education to have the right job to start this job. I recall back at home that I needed to take a test called ACT and there was one part of the exam I could not pass no matter how hard I try I was not able to receive that 70 mark. I decided to just work and make money. I have always wanted to be a doctor growing up and I had that dream for a really long time that I can do it.
Eventually I needed to stop lying to myself telling myself I can do that at the age of 26 years of age. So once I got to Monroe Community College I was receiving counseling and my counselor and I discuss careers and I came to an understanding that becoming a doctor is not for me but becoming a Social Worker is for me I enjoy talking to people and helping them create a plan for their lives and giving them the hope that is needed to be able to handle things. Yes I do believe that my life experience is the reason why I am going into social work.
I believe that I can do this and I am very happy to say that the professors at MCC have taught me to work hard and chase my dreams. I believe that our up bring affects how we perceive college. How we are treated in high school will affect our views in college. I do agree that education is very important to most students. I am proud to say that I am the only one that finishes High School College out of my family because no one thought I’d makes it through it. So I would tell anyone go to school because it is for you no one else.
