California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

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Education Is Not Just Certification

Education must mean more than just attendance.

It’s easy to be pessimistic about higher education when students graduate into a state where, as of November 2011, unemployment currently affects a staggering 11.3 percent.

It’s really easy to give into a swelling lack of confidence in higher education in America, where institutions are constantly vilified for raising tuition costs and slashing departments and programs to alleviate an uncompromising budget.

It is also easy to claim college is only necessary for obtaining a degree signifying completion, rather than striving for good grades because you think a grade point average is no longer relevant since you think it’s actually about “who you know” now.

Really, it’s what you know.

All too often I hear my fellow classmates continue to find excuses for why they stop attending classes after the second week or why they’re merely content with a passing grade.

Too often do I see students condemn teachers who present a challenging curriculum meant to stimulate and increase capacities for shaping one’s own future because they would much rather get a C for just showing up.

Pessimism seems to preside over a majority of college students today, where a lack of faith in what education can provide seems to mirror a lack of faith in the uncertainty of our futures.

However, the way I see it, pessimism never results in anything fruitful and if I am already dealt the misfortune of entering college during one of the most trying times for education, I’d much rather look on the brighter side of things.

Looking at our futures with an ominous outlook simply negates the true importance and need for being educated.

In the fall of 2011, a record 19.7 million people enrolled in American colleges and universities, an increase of 4.4 million since 2000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

During the 2011-2012 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 1.7 million bachelor’s degrees and 696,000 master’s degrees.

That means over a million people will graduate this summer with the same sheet of paper as everyone else.

Is a piece of parchment enough to stand out from the 1.7 million crowd?

I feel fortunate enough to live in a country where education is even a remote possibility for a woman and ethnic minority.

Sure you could argue it used to be free, and you could also argue our educational system used to rank among the best in the world, but for whom?

If this were 1967, as a Latina female I would most likely not be where I am today.

In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, one lesson we as students should heed from the civil rights leader is to view education as the great equalizer.

In theory, I have just as much opportunity as the person sitting next to me in my class tomorrow morning regardless of color, gender or creed at using my five years in college to ensure through my own volition I can offer the world more than just a certificate of completion.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, 16.3 percent of the world’s 6.9 billion population is illiterate, the education expenditure took up an average of 4.4 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and the average persons school-life peaks at 11 years old.

On the brighter side of things, if you are reading this, have completed the sixth grade and have received some form of aid, grant or loan to get you to attend a school, you’re much luckier than most of the world. Take advantage of it.

Take advantage of an opportunity to absorb knowledge and scholarship at an institution meant to transform you at your very core, mature you cognitively and give you an edge over all the people who did nothing more than waste their time and money for five years.

When I look at my parents and the lack of education opportunities available to them in El Salvador, the country of their birth, I see my opportunity to make their sacrifice worth it.

My guess is a person who is well educated, astute and prepared, in addition to having a certificate of completion, will easily edge out the second week quitter, excuse-bearing student who sees school as a chore.

My hope is for students to absorb even a dollop of reverence for education held by so many less fortunate than us.

I strongly urge students to take advantage of the wealth of professors and people who want nothing more than to see them succeed, and to take every aspect of their education seriously. View it as a time that, if used properly, can shape the rest of your lives.

It’s really too easy to be pessimistic, so why take the easy way out?

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California State University East Bay
Education Is Not Just Certification