Final Post - 3

Besem Etta-Ashu
Contemporary Literacies
Final Post 3

DATABASE RESEARCH ON HIGHER EDUCATION

The first blog I wrote in regards to my final project was about the meaning of Higher Education and what it means to pursue higher education. The second blog I wrote in regards to my final project was about my personal experience and journey in pursuit of higher education. I also connected my second post to our course reading The Other Wes Moorea and lastly how parents also play a key role in the educational growth of their children.

My third post is in regards to the database research on the importance of Higher Education. Another reason why I wanted to write this post is because I am an accounting major and I am interested in knowing the various percentages and rates at which a person who has graduated with higher educational levels degrees differs from a person who did not obtain higher education degrees. We all know that individuals who obtained their Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees have more benefits in life compared to the individuals who did not, but I am interested in finding the specific benefits and advantages that they have.

The above chart was retrieved from the National Center for Education Statistics. According to the chart and the various research that I received from the National Center for Education Statistics in regards to the difference between individuals who are college graduates and those who are not, there is a big gap between college grads and noncollege grads. 

National Center for Education proved that "In 2018, the employment rate was higher for those with higher levels of educational attainment. For example, the employment rate was highest for young adults with a bachelor’s or higher degree (86 percent). The employment rate for young adults with some college (79 percent) was higher than the rate for those who had completed high school (72 percent), which was, in turn, higher than the employment rate for those who had not completed high school (59 percent). The same pattern was observed among both young adult males and young adult females". 

There are several advantages of pursuing higher education such as a higher pay rate - The median yearly income of someone with a high school diploma alone is $35,400, compared to $44,800 with a two-year (Associate’s) degree and $56,500 with a four-year (Bachelor’s) degree. Secondly, college grads are more prepared for their career than non-grads because they have received the knowledge in which they need to know for the position. It is also easier for someone with a higher-level degree to get a job compared to someone without a degree because college prepares students to be more career orientated. 

Final Post - 2

Besem Etta-Ashu
Contemporary Literacies
Final Post - 2

PERSONAL CONNECTION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

In my first post for my final project, I wrote about the importance of Higher Education and also connected it with some points from the class reading, The Other Wes Moore. While reading the text, I realized that there were a lot of personal connections that both myself and the characters in the book had in regards to higher education. 

Pursuing higher education or trying to reach the next level in my educational background, has always played a major role in my life. To be honest, education is one of the main assets of my life which I use constantly not only to grow into the amazing individual that I am today but also into the person I want to be in the next years to come. 

There is no doubt that higher education played a major role in the lives of not only both Wes but also their families. The author Wes was fortunate enough to be in a family where both parents are college graduates. Wes's mother, Joy Thomas entered American University in Washington D.C. in 1968. At college, Joy quickly fell in with the OASATAU, the very long acronym for a young group, the Organization of African and African-American Students at the African University. Later on, she became a writing assisting who began working for Wes's father. (page 8-9). 

Wes got his name from his father Wesley who had a dream of being on television and having a voice that made an impact as a young man growing up. He made his dream come true by graduating from Bard College in 1971 and then becoming a young reporter who traveled to many countries following stories, cases, and jobs. He was calm. reassuring, and hardworking. On April 15, 1982, he ended his radio news broadcast on WMAL, a stalwart in the Washington D.C., market. (pages 11-12). 

On the other hand, the other Wes Moore's mother, Mary was trying to get enrolled in John Hopkins University (pg.18) but she had to drop out because she was unable to receive enough funds to attend college. Although Mary was unable to attend college it was clear that she wanted her kids to pursue higher education. From the reading, it stated that "she shared with him, in the language he could understand, why the school was so important. She explained to him the significance of being the first one in the family to go college" (pg.20).

My father attended NJIT and has a bachelor's degree while my mom has her associate degree while learning to become a Registered Nurse. I am grateful to have been able to attend really nice schools because my parents were willing to sacrifice a lot of their time to make sure my siblings and I are able to pursue our dreams, just like Mary and Joy did for their kids. My parents worked a lot of hours and used all their savings to meet our school expenses. I have received a great amount of scholarships throughout my journey in school just like the author Wes has had. There are some people that I know who have ended their journey to pursue higher education and began looking at drugs as the greatest thing they have in life. But everyone has their own individual reasons for the choices they make in life. Wes decided to drop out of school and focus on the amount of money he was making from drugs but later on decided to try going back to school for his GED and creating a better life for himself and his family.

Higher Education might not be the priority at the beginning of an individual's life but it definitely will become a priority at some point in their life.




















                                                                                                        Author Wes Moore




























                                                                                         Author Wes Moore's Mother: Joy

Final Post - 1

Besem Etta-Ashu
Contemporary Literacies
Final Post - 1

 HIGHER EDUCATION

"Ensuring quality higher education is one of the most important things we can do for future generations" by Ron Lewis. 

"Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world' by Nelson Mandela.

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today" by Malcolm X. 

These sets of quotes are one of the most powerful quotes that truly underline the real meaning of what it means to pursue higher education. We are all told at a certain point in our lives that "education is the key to success" but unfortunately we do not really understand the meaning of that sentence/quote until a later point in our lives. 

When I was in middle school, I did not really understand the importance nor the reason why everyone was being forced to go to school. I often wondered what was so special about school that everyone needed to attend it. Just like both Wes from The Other Wes Moore, I only attended school because I was forced to go to school. My parents tried to implement the importance of me attending school and being able to live a good life in the future just like Mary and Joy did for their sons Wes, but I still was not convinced that school was as great as it had seemed to be. I did all my assignments because it was expected of me; I was very punctual to school because it was expected of me; I had really good grades because it was expected of me. Nothing I had worked for at school was because I want to do it but instead because it was expected of me. 

The older I got the more I realized that no one is capable of forcing someone to understand or know the importance of going to school. We can encourage, support, and inspire them to pursue higher education but if they are not willing to do it for themselves and voluntarily, it's not going to work. As we found from our course reading, The Other Wes Moore, when both Wes were forced to go to school, they always ended up skipping school. The author Wes would hang out with his friend and spray paint the wall while the other usually ended up selling drugs and drinking with his friends. 

Eventually, both Wes began realizing the importance of going to school without anyone forcing or persuading them to attend school. The military school that Wes dreadfully hated, he gradually began to see it as his second home and family. In the beginning, Wes saw the school as his greatest punishment, but eventually, when being attacked by the boys in the red car, he ran back to military school using the route he intended to use in escaping as a way back to safety, to the military school. 

When the incarcerated Wes was ready to change his life and abandon the drug world, he decided to go back to school and get his GED. Nobody forced Wes to go to school, he just knew it was something he had to do not just for himself but for his family. 

Tony once told Wes that "If you wouldn't listen, then that's on you. You have the potential to do so much more, go so much further. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it, right?" (bottom page 71). Parents can take their kids to school, but they can't force their kids to stay in school. Just like the horse must voluntarily be willing to drink the water, kids must voluntarily be willing to want to stay in school.

Importance of Higher Education by Hanna Jaff