Road
Trip Nation
Counseling
12
Vincent
Vaca
The first interview I watched was
with Omar Cardenas, Youth Organizer of the Children’s Defense Fund. Omar is a
young man from Fresno, California who advocates for the welfare of children.
Omar had a bad home life as a young man and dropped out of high school, or as
he puts it, was pushed out of high school. This experience led to more
self-destructive behavior until he reached a turning point in his life. He
credits his older brother setting a good example for him, leading him to go
back to school at age 23. He also cites getting involved in cultural studies as
the reason he turned his life around. He now feels the need to advocate for
other kids who may be going through a similar experience.
The second interview I watched was
Sean McComb, former teacher of the year and current teacher at Patapsco High
School. Like Omar in the other interview, Sean had a tough home life with a
mother who was an alcoholic. He began to waver between good and bad behavior in
high school until he took a literature class with a teacher who changed his
life. Sean says he feels like he was almost ready to quit when this teacher
saved him and motivated him to improve his life and his grades. Sean credits
genuine teachers that helped him with inspiring him to become a teacher and
spend his life helping other kids in the same position he was once in.
The third interview I watched was
with Joel Laguna, a teacher at Thomas Starr King Middle School. Joel is the son
of immigrants and was raised in a low income family. He states his father was
not really involved in his life and credits his mother for being there for him
throughout his life. Like Sean in the previous interview, he says the key is
for teachers to be genuine when working with kids. Joel says helping students
and working hard, while having a good time are key elements in enjoying your
occupation on a daily basis.
Overall, I see some common threads among
the three interviewees. Each one of them had difficult home lives and credits a
particular turning point or person in their lives for helping them reach their
full potential. Each of them also have a passion to teach and help young people
that are experiencing the same difficulties and obstacles they experienced when
they were youngsters. Each of these individuals is using the vehicle of
education to help others reach their full potential and navigate their way
through some of life’s difficulties.
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