Breaking the Cycle; Finding the Stairway
My informant, Michael, and I had immensely different upbringings in contrasting socioeconomic environments and, as a result, our lives, goals, and attainments have been constructed accordingly. These socioeconomic factors contributed in shaping two diverse paths to personal as well as eduational attainments. I will analyze how family background and dynamics including race, community, class, family structure, and peer groups have affected and influenced our pathways into adulthood. Although each factor is distinct with its own unique characteristics, these factors can link together to construct social patterns and assist in forming a continual, cyclical process that is difficult to escape. Essentially, one factor contributes to the next and thus a repetitive cycle is born in which a social hierarchy is established; wealth and resources to opportunities such as higher education, stay in the hands of those who can afford it and those who cannot are left wanting.
Michael Davis is a 17 year old African American male. His mother grew up in Oakland, California, and his father in the nearby urban city of Richmond. His mom received a high school degree, but did not attend college. His father was a high school dropout who joined a gang at the age of 17, was arrested for selling drugs and remained mostly absent from Michael’s life. Michael’s mom, Tracy, did the best she could to give him a good life and raised him in Oakland. They moved to several homes they could not afford, and were subsequently evicted from, until they eventually settled in a small two-bedroom apartment in a predominantly poor, African American neighborhood. Michael and his mom are considered to be in the lower second fifth, lower class, and an in-person server household. Michael attends a local public high school and hopes to one day play football professionally. However the biggest obstacle Michael must face first is getting into college. Michael describes, “The high school I go to, most kids end up dropping out. If they do graduate, only a few go to college.” Michael and his football teammate, Darius, have their eyes set on a scholarship. Michael explains, “Most of my friends cannot afford to go to college. Darius and I are hoping to work hard enough to receive football scholarships so we can one day go pro. Without a scholarship, I wouldn’t go to college. No one in my family ever has.”
Contrastingly, I am a white female and live in Walnut Creek, California. My family lives comfortably and is able to afford a higher standard of living. Both of my parents achieved a college degree which allowed them to attain steady jobs after graduating. My mom graduated on an academic scholarship from St. Mary’s College and my dad worked two jobs to Breaking the Cycle; Finding the Stairway: