Breaking the Cycle of Poverty through Higher Education: My Academic Pursuit - Essay Sample

Introduction

Throughout my academic life, I have firmly believed that academic accomplishment is one critical way of setting a clear career trajectory and attaining the full realization of the American dream for dynamic prosperity. As an ambitious, passionate, and confident student, I believe that getting a higher education is a sure way of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty that has been characteristic of the African-American community. History and contemporary studies show various forms of disparities that the minority communities in the United States continue to face, especially in the overpopulated and areas of the country such as Los Angeles. This is a clear indication that pursuing proper education will be a critical milestone in extricating myself from the possibility of living in such squalid conditions. From my childhood, I developed a passion for becoming a distinguished professor and researcher in African American studies as a way of reconnecting the struggles that the community has undergone through decades of challenges. Through research, I will attain a vantage point to work with the population in unlocking their real potential. My parents always emphasize that history should remind us to actively engage in solving some of the imminent challenges of the past. Even though equality of all races is an essential pillar of the modern United States, this is not the reality, as evidenced by various incidences of discrimination in the fields such as healthcare access.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

In my childhood and academic life, I always use all my effort to complete mostly self-initiated tasks. For instance, I created a small organization called "Aspire" in my neighborhood, which targets to mobilize street urchins and vulnerable children towards behavior change and self-actualization. Before developing the group, I was struck by the grim reality that street urchins and minority children who have great potential to transform the society, but this may remain unclocked if no deliberate interventions reach them. At the outset, turning the perceptions of the high disillusioned and disconnected peers proved a daunting task for me, but through dedication and constant desire to change the course of their lives, I made a breakthrough. This achievement convinced me that the best way to exhibit leadership is to face even the most challenging situations and solve them boldly. To date, my conviction remains to transform the society without necessarily inclining to any social, economic, and political group since the collective identity of humanity demands so. I have progressively understood that my academic pursuit is a means of being more impactful in society, being an influencer, and an inspiration to my peers.

Aside from my community involvement and perceptions about the need for higher education, I have always focused on expanding my horizon in understanding the underlying potential of African Americans. Ideally, I have carefully studied the milestones made by some prominent members of the communities, which convinced me that the ideal change is possible through transformative mobilization. My keen interest in the field of African American studies is driven by utmost compassion and empathy towards the challenges that some quotas of the minority community face even in the advent of a modern America. The disenfranchisement and exclusion in various aspects require a comprehensive intervention that focuses on understanding the challenges and looking for a homegrown solution for it.

Going forward, I am interested in advancing my studies in African American studies and attaining a Ph.D. in the field. This will enable me to have a broad view of American society using a post-modern lens and becoming a positive influencer for behavior transformation and attitude change among the minority groups. The victim mentality that has been characteristic of the minority communities in the United States requires immediate and sustained interventions through empowerment, which I look forward to taking up. In the next seven years, I envision myself being a great community organizer and mobilizer. My primary focus will be on helping the people to attain self-advancement, a real sense of equality, and overcoming their systematic challenges.