Don’t let me adult…

Here I sit writing this post. I am eighteen years old and just graduated from high school. I even paid taxes last year… And now the next step is right in front of me. In exactly one month I shall enter my freshmen year of college.

But please, I beg you, don’t let me adult.

This is not me simply wanting to not have to grow up, it’s the fact that I feel like I am missing essential tools that I will need in the “real world” that me and my fellow graduates all feel.

In high school I took AP GOV and passed my exam, but when it comes to real life politics and political parties… I feel like I am taking a shot in the dark when it comes to voting and understanding what policies they are pushing onto Americans. I understand how laws are passed, how many seats there are, how the electoral congress is passed, and the first governing documents. But when you ask me who I want to vote for, all I have are the views that my family has placed n me.. and not my own.

I know that since I have an income thanks to my job I have to pay taxes as my duty as an American citizen… I know the general concept of where my taxes are supposed to go, but when Idaho had a surplus of tax money left over that never got used when there are people living in poverty… I get lost.

Please don’t let me adult because I have questions that my education never answered. I know what seven virtues I need to live a  life, I know how to fill out FASFA and that I need to pursue a degree in higher education… but after that…

Please don’t let me adult because these questions make me hesitate to take a leap. If I have to spend the next few years standing in the background of change because I never had the tools to understand, I could be missing out on opportunities to impact and change what I see around me.

I ask you to not let me adult… revoke my adulting licenses”, or even suspend it until I feel I can make calculated decisions with all the facts laid out in front of me.

Until then, I will continue to learn on my own, and I hope to be able to fill in the gaps on my own.

Wait… We Don’t Have A Minority Scholarship?

That moment when you are filling out numerous amounts of scholarship applications for college when it hits you. If I represent such a small portion of the population, is there a minority scholarship? Quickly I raced to my laptop and googled Idaho minority scholarships.

But my hope was short lived.

Idaho DOES NOT have a minority scholarship. Why???
And this is the moment when someone says that it is not fair for a person to get a scholarship for being a minority. But the fact is it is fair.

I have learned that due to the color of my skin, I was born with a disadvantage. I had teachers that refused to help me learn not matter how hard I would try and try to receive help to understand concepts. I had teachers that called me lower class because I am black. And years of my family being considered lower class has made financial struggles for me and other minorities.

These scholarships send first family graduates to college. These scholarships give us the opportunity to leave our harsh environments, give us the chance to pursue a dream of being equal and have equal opportunities.

There are scholarships for everyone, every religion, state, hobby, interest, personality, career field. Everyone can find a scholarship and there are so many different types… but why are there not more minority scholarships?

Keep in mind minority is not just a skin color, or nationality. Minority is defined as, the smaller number or part, especially a number that is less than half the whole number.

Hi There!! And Welcome!!!

The title for this blog is what I have represented for the past sixteen years of my life. In Idaho, one little statistic marks who I am. I belong to point eight percent (according to the 2016 census) of the population. There is so little African Americans to the point where we are not even a whole percent. Thus, the title of the blog, because my existence can be boiled down to just a number from the census bureau. But I am here to prove that you are more than just a statistic, you are capable of so much more. Here on this blog you can follow me through my path of adulthood, being a woman and a minority in a state where I am not a whole percent, and as I navigate college life.

The greats before me walked so I could have this opportunity, so I intend to not just walk, but to run and never stop running.

-Lee