Being in college is a great experience so that people can be able to study about mostly everything. I am very lucky and fortunate to be in such a setting. Even thought I was able to get to the University of Maryland, not everyone was so lucky. One of best friends, Benry, is one of the smartest guys I know. We had many things in common I knew him since middle school where he played the trumpet in the school ensemble as well as the jazz band while I played violin and was concert master in the orchestra. After Middle school, I went to Bethesda- Chevy Chase High School while he went to Northwood High. During my time in high school, my school ranked 34th in Newsweek’s top 100 public high schools in the country while Northwood barely made the list. Bethesda- Chevy Chase (or B-CC as we like to call it), was located in an area where the family income is on the top middle class range (very affluent) while the Northwood community is closer to the lower end of the social economic status. There were many factors that have contributed to the inequalities that my friend received during and after high school. In B-CC, from the start of freshman year, we were given aspirations of going to college and we were guided on the possible ways we would be able to achieve these goals of going to college.
I remember the first time I met my counselor, she asked me, “Which College do you think you want to go to after college?” I had no idea, coming from a family that did not have anybody go to college, and I did not know what to say. She from then guided me on what steps I should take to ensure I make it to college. When Benry got to high school, the counselors never bothered to ask whether or not Benry wanted to go to college. The counselor’s main concern was getting him to graduate. When it came time for us to apply to colleges, Benry wasn’t able to apply. The reason being is that Benry came to this country illegally. Most private as well as public Colleges and Universities were not able to accept students that did not have the correct documentation even if the student had the right qualifications to get in. I was fortunate that I was born in this country so I was able to attend the University of Maryland while Benry had to go back to his home country of Guatemala to study there. Had he been a resident, he would have been graduating here with me in May.
