The Piece of Paper

When I was 17 years old, I made a PowerPoint style presentation to my parents with the goal of convincing them to let me attend Emerson College in Boston. I was stoked to have been accepted into their selective Political Communications program which only accepts about 25 new students each year.

So why did I have to convince my parents?

Emerson College at the time cost about $58,000 a year to attend.

My parents were right. I had no idea at 17 years old what that kind of debt would mean when I eventually finished school. But back in the early 2000s, high school students were all about the name of the school they were going to and student loans were an after thought; a perceived necessary evil.

I tell the story all the time of how I wound up going to Rhode Island College instead of the fancy, expensive Boston school. I walked on RIC's campus in the Fall of 2010 with the biggest puss on my face, mad that I wasn't going to school in a big city or that I wasn't even living at school. I had always wanted that quintessential dorm experience living on campus, tailgating at the Division I football games or staying up all night in line for tickets to that March Madness basketball match up.

That puss was quickly wiped off my face at RIC when I took a minute to realize who the people were sitting in my classes around me. They were single parents looking to advance their careers, they were older students starting school after serving in the military, they were students with disabilities, and for me, it was some of my first real exposure to students of color and minority populations.

It was a wake up call about post-secondary education.

It was a wake up call about life.

After that realization, I was inspired to make the most of my time at the College. I went on to be incredibly involved on campus working the radio station, student newspaper, the American Democracy Project, president of the student body, and interning at the Rhode Island State House. At the end of the day, my experience at RIC was what I made it and that's what it is for everyone who goes to any college or university across the country. It matters what you do wherever you go, not the name across the top of the degree you grab at graduation.

And what's the cherry on top of this lesson? I graduated school with no student loans and have had a fairly successful career despite what many may consider a less than impressive degree.

It's been truly heartbreaking to watch some of my high school friends strapped with so much debt knowing they may never be able to own a home of their own or continue to have to live with roommates long term just to make ends meet.

My generation was one that was so indoctrinated with the idea that not only was it four-year college or bust, but anything else was essentially failure. I have vivid memories of the stigma that was developed around those peers that would step onto a bus a few times per week in the middle of the school day to head to a career and tech program. We were really taught to view them as lesser than us and they were considered students that were not smart enough to consider college as a next step for themselves. We've made some strides in that regard in the last 15 years, but not nearly enough.

What's prompted this reflection on post-secondary education might you ask?

A recent The Providence Journal article did an in depth look at the education background of Rhode Island's federal, state, and general assembly delegation. It looked at who had advanced degrees, who had bachelor's degrees and from which schools, the Ivy League graduates, and so on.

The highlight of the article for me was just how locally educated our elected officials are for the most part. More than 60 lawmakers hold at least one degree from a college or university in Rhode Island, meaning that more than two-thirds of the college graduates in the general assembly were educated locally. Some of them with multiple degrees from multiple Rhode Island-based schools. It shows that individuals are choosing to stay here after graduation and contribute to the state.

However, in my opinion, the unintended takeaway from the article is that it puts a spotlight back again on not just traditional post-secondary education of four year university paths, but where specifically you earned your degree. The article elevates this by going so far to call out that all of the current makeup of our federal delegation are Ivy League products.

There's been a lot of question and discussion lately about why certain generations are not showing up in political races from the federal level on down. I've often said that running for and holding elected office is not inclusive of all professions.

Look at the Rhode Island general assembly for example, a part-time legislature that meets three days a week namely from 3pm and later, six months out of the year (never mind the committee meetings and other commitments on the side that the office entails). You can count on one hand how many professions and careers can and would allow for an individual to participate to the fullest extent.

79% of legislators in RI have a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 40% of Rhode Islanders at large so we can't even say that that is representative and inclusive in that sense as well.

So, while I get the Projo's examination of education background was just something to chew on as a "did you know," on a more serious note, we need to stop placing so much weight on the who, what, and where when it comes to post-secondary advancement. Higher education is about more to many than just being able to brag about where you went to school.

For many, it's about that first in a generation opportunity and social mobility (kudos Rhode Island College and the Hope Scholarship).

For many, it's about non-traditional paths to success through options like the Woonsocket Education Center and Westerly Education Center for professional development.

For many, it's why initiatives like Ocean Tech Works are vitally important to help continue the work of reinvigorating our workforce economy.

It's time to look beyond the piece of paper and understand that our world has changed and the avenues to rise to the challenge come in all shapes and sizes. No path to success is linear. It doesn't matter how you run the race, just so long as you're able to finish.