Continuing Your Opportunity Research

Continuing Your Opportunity Research 

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Interviews:

Interview 1: I interviewed a coworker of mine who feels that they are in a stable situation. They aren't plagued by any drug problem. They don't get a lot of pay, but they live in a stable situation and that's "all that they could ask for". This person didn't have the most stable upbringing, but they joined a mentorship program at GHS and found someone they really admired. This person didn't go to college, but are currently as happy as ever.

Interview 2: I interviewed a teacher that I had at PK Yonge. Although they didn't grow up on the East side of town, they grew up in Hawthorne, in a low income household and went to a D rated school. This teacher graduated 2nd in his class, went to UF and now has a stable life. I asked him how and he said his peers had a bigger influence on him than his family. Although he didn't go to the best school, he found a niche group that wanted to succeed.

Interview 3: I interviewed my girlfriend. Although she grew up in a low income household under not the best conditions, her mom brought her up well. Although she admits that her mom and her don't have the best relationship at the moment, her mom put in the time.

Interview 4: I was actually born on the East side of town, so I interviewed my dad. When I was born, he and my mom were both out of a job and surviving off of food stamps and trying to raise two boys (and a soon to be newborn girl). I asked how he got through. He said he never really felt like he lived in an unfortunate circumstance. He lived in a trailer all his life and moved around constantly. So he just studied his way through UF when I was born and got himself a job at GRU. 

Interview 5: I interviewed my supervisor at Reading Pals. She said she got through high school because of a mentorship program. Because of this, she decided to work for a mentorship program herself. 

Inside the boundary

The who: Citizens of Gainesville, Florida

The what: face one of the biggest recorded income disparity rankings in the United States

The why: Gainesville is a small city with a large university. On top of that, UF does very little to combat the disparities those in the city face.

Outside the boundary 

Who is Not: Those born in a middle class household or with a proper support system don't fall into this bracket. But Some people are set up from failure at birth. There are some schools within the city of Gainesville that aren't set up with the proper resources or staff to give students a proper start. If people are born in low income areas, often they need a proper upbringing or mentor. A lot of kids in Gainesville haven't seen anything west of 13th street. 

What the need is not: This opportunity is an opportunity for mentorship. Our mission isn't solving the other problems faced within the community such as the food deserts or revamping low income houses. This program is for teaching people to fish. 

Why: It's simple. Those who have already had good influences but were born under poor conditions are more able to succeed. Just the understanding that things could be different changes everything.