More than 60% of U.S. high school students get the opportunity to go on to college, while only 17% of American Indian students are able to continue their education. Select Natives are not only affected daily by challenges including domestic violence and poverty, but constant suppression of their education through stereotypes that are seemingly impossible to break.
My family’s Cherokee Indian heritage is rooted in the valleys of California, where poverty and abuse had influenced my descendants’ lives for generations. Specifically, my mother was drastically impacted by these challenges. In order to escape her abusive home, she dropped out of high school at the age of 16, surviving alone through the means of ramen noodles and grocery store paychecks. For some native families experiencing extreme poverty, education is not held at the same level of priority as protecting one’s self from violence or being able to afford a substantial meal, as in the case of my mother who had no educational support whatsoever.…show more content… Although I feel that I am very fortunate to have grown up in a safe community with parents who have taught me the importance of getting an education, there are various challenges that have become prevalent in my life due to my identity. Breaking the educational stereotype about my heritage and family has not been an easy undertaking. Because of my identity, I feel that I have been expected to not be as successful as other students, even though I work just as hard for it. Discouraging this may be, I feel that the one quality that runs through my kindred veins is this: I will never give up, just like my mother, and just like my ancestors who never let go of their wild horses’ necks while galloping at high
