by Anthony Abraham Jack, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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Summary

He was a freshman at Amherst College, a private liberal arts college in Massachusetts, and he was on a scholarship from Miami, though he did not have the money to return home for spring break like so many of his peers.

Amherst did not provide any meals during holidays and breaks, so he had planned for days of being hungry.

Back home in Miami, McDonald’s ran a special where the burgers were much cheaper, but in Amherst, this was not possible. He had to work extra shifts to stay on campus during breaks, but he noticed how many friends had returned and rested from break.

He interviewed more than 100 undergraduates at an elite university:

“Many students from low-income families described having to learn and decode a whole new set of cues and terms like professors’ “office hours” (many didn’t know what they were or how to use them), and foreign rituals like being invited to get coffee with an instructor (and not knowing whether they were expected to pay) — all those moments between convocation and commencement where college life is actually lived.”

‘My financial-aid officer didn’t understand why I worked so many jobs or why I picked up even more hours at times.’

He attended George Washington Carver Middle School. His assistant principal from Carver saw him and his friends goofing around, and his assistant principal saw black boys like them, less than. She did not see his drive to succeed.

He had to stay home from school for a few days when he could not afford all the supplies for his science fair experiment, though he had everything ready to go once he could afford the materials, and he got the A on it:

“So on that summer morning when the assistant principal admonished me, anger welled up inside me, but I couldn’t let it show. That would have just played into her preconceived notion of who — or rather, what — I was. I had to prove her wrong. I had to prove myself right.”

He knows that this is the kind of story that poor, black, and Latinx students are conditioned to write for college application essays.

“Some communities protect us from hurt, harm and danger. Others provide no respite at all.”

Children can access good schools, safer streets, and good neighbors in privileged communities. In distressed communities, life means learning to distinguish between firecrackers and gunshots.

Different environments impact children’s cognitive functioning, social development, and physical health intensely.

“In his 2010 study of Chicago youth from adolescence to young adulthood, the sociologist Patrick Sharkey, then at New York University and now at Princeton, shows how such violence disrupts learning in ways equivalent to missing two years of schooling. And yet we equate performance on tests with potential, as if learning happens in a vacuum. It doesn’t.”

Disadvantaged students still live in poverty, as they must worry about those back home as much as those back home worry about them.

“One day a call announced that a $675 mortgage payment needed to be paid. It wasn’t the first time. I was annoyed. I was mad that I was annoyed.”

By his junior year, he had four jobs secured, and his financial aid officer did not understand why he worked so many jobs. The financial aid office said he needed to reduce hours due to work-study rules. He pleaded with them not to, as he needed the money.

He hated the SAT, as his more privileged peers met with private coaches or went to tutoring sessions while he was at home by himself. He could not afford the book for practice tests.

College is difficult for everyone; divorces and deaths of grandparents are not uncommon. Counselors and advisers are prepared for these challenges:

“But whom do students turn to when they get those 2 a.m. calls bringing news of street violence, eviction or arrests? Hiring more diverse staff and administrators, as well as those who are familiar with these issues, is important in this effort — but this work can’t just be consigned to the diversity dean, who is often the only person of color in the office.”

Analysis

Stress and isolation define everyday college life for more vulnerable students, and college administrations must put in the effort to understand this.

Instead of creating reports that get ignored, college faculty should regularly check in with students through surveys and listen to their concerns. Administrators and staff should also get training to recognize their own biases. Schools must build strong relationships with students and student groups, keeping communication open year-round, even when new students come in and others graduate.

“When I was learning to chart the hungry days on my calendar, I was one of the nearly 40 percent of undergraduates who struggle with food insecurity.”

Colleges need to meet the students’ basic needs. When one is hungry, focusing and functioning are difficult. Colleges can expand meal plans. For example, students should be able to donate unused dining credits for other students to use.

Relating to Meritocracy

Students have a lot of personal problems back home but also struggle in college, such as food insecurity. It is crucial for staff not to assume anything terrible if these students are struggling, potentially affecting their academic abilities. For example, when Anthony had to stay home because he could not afford items for his science fair experiment, the assistant principal admonished him. The assistant principal has more power than the student, Anthony, to determine his success or change his life (positively or negatively) as she is higher in the hierarchy.

Anthony had seen his privileged peers get tutoring coaches while he could not afford the practice book for the SAT. He did not have an equal opportunity at all, and based on meritocracy, if he scored worse on the SAT than his privileged peers, people would assume that he was “stupider” than his peers.

Students have food insecurity nationwide, and it could be challenging to focus/function well in class if hungry. Health is essential to doing well in academics, and some students are negatively affected, which could affect their academics.