“Aid to the Average”

            Society has always glorified the high academic achievers: the Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton goers, but have we ever stilled and settled our thoughts on the “average” people? Don’t think so.  Most of the population we work with and meet in Pomona, California have not gone to top tier colleges, or have professional degrees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau American Communities Survey, only sixteen percent of Pomona's adult population have a college degree. However, this does not reflect the individual’s importance in the great scheme of life. The people in Pomona may have amazing talents which are not immediately apparent. They might have astounding expertise when working with children, have great communicative skills, be able to draw an image envisioned, or ace a test without studying or doing work. These people appear to be capable of so much more than an AA or bachelors degree. Why didn’t they choose to go to college? This seemingly average group of students need to have a program, which addresses their personal issues in order to help them achieve academic success.

Isac Ortiz and Endy At

            Some of these people were prevented from going to college for monetary, work, and domestic reasons. For example, Isac Ortiz and Gabriela Hartt, are both high performing individuals who chose not to go to college. Gabriela Hartt, a thirty-nine year old woman, works for the Pomona Unified School District as a Child Development Home Visitor (teacher), and helps educate mothers to care and raise their children properly. Mrs. Hartt not only has to develop a relationship with the child, but also the parent as she aids them in becoming the “primary teacher” for their child. During an interview with Mrs. Hartt, she claimed, “I didn’t want to go to college because I got a job early and felt good about making money as a department store area manager. Having a vehicle and making money stopped me from wanting to go to college after high school. Couple that with parents who did not push me to go to college and you get a tied to home individual.” Isac, a junior at Pomona High School who is classified as gifted, is well known throughout the school for his artistic masterpieces. Isac claimed to hold no interest in attending college, although his older sister did go to college and majored in business and art. He allegedly failed an entire year’s worth of classes, and linked this rough patch of his life to the imprisonment of his dad. During this time he also felt his life was in danger because of the lack of safety within his living environment. Isac asserted his positive outlook towards retaking the classes he had previously failed, and claimed to have found support from his friends and several of the high school staff. However, he was not able to acquire this invaluable personal support until after his time of need.

            Are there organizations or programs to help aid this group of the population? According to Claudia Ruelas, an Advanced Placement and College Prep teacher of World History, programs which help average achieving and low performing students in Pomona High School are AVID and APEX. These programs are geared to bringing students to a higher academic level of achievement. We have these programs, but are they really enough? While there are many programs geared for academic aid, there are not as many for the psychological and emotional help, many adolescents need. Providing these basic needs through a specialized program would aid many students thrive in a competitive learning atmosphere, by offering Physiological stability, safety, and belonging which all come before achievement, as stated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. When asking students their opinion of such a program, a majority claimed they would not attend it because they would not want to have their personal lives dictated over. However, this shows just how much reform needs to be implemented in order to help students by encouraging them to go to college and view school staff as a resource instead of dictators.

-Anne-Marie Hartt