A letter from an inner-city kid

One of the reasons I support Obama is that I think he understands the crisis in our public schools and, in particular, how badly low-income minority kids are being utterly screwed.  I think he could be to this issue, within the Democratic Party, what Bill Clinton was to welfare reform.

 

In that spirit, I wanted to share this story: I recently made a donation to TEAM Academy, a KIPP chater school in Newark (I'm Vice Chair of the four KIPP schools in NYC), and in the mail yesterday received a thank-you letter from the school and a powerful, hand-written letter from a student there.

 

All I can say is: WOW!  Her story blew me away.  It captures as well as anything I've ever read about what inner-city children face in their lives and the life-changing difference a great school can make.  Stories like this get me chocked up and are why I'm so passionate about trying to make sure EVERY child in this country has the opportunity to attend a great school.

 

I called Ryan Hill, the founder of TEAM Academy, and learned that this young lady (who I'll keep anonymous to protect her privacy) was accepted to Exeter yesterday!  She has also received a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship that will pay all of her education expenses through graduate school.  Read this letter (below and you'll understand why (I have made no edits, other than removing her name).  Here's an excerpt:

TEAM has been that helping hand in my life -- helping me overcome situations that could have dragged me down and destroyed me.  From having the house I lived in devoured by vicious flames, to only owning the clothes on my back and the love and faith in my heart, to watching every cell in my god-brother's brain lying on the sidewalk as a result of ignorant gun wars, TEAM has helped me through it all.  TEAM has taught me to cherish every second of life, the good and the bad.  TEAM has taught me that the only thing that can kill you is losing pride and confidence within yourself.

 

To be honest, if I wasn't at TEAM Academy, I would be running the streets myself, caught in the net that many people are too blind to avoid.  Boarding school and college wouldn't even be part of my vocabulary.

PS--If you're interested in school reform, check out my web page at www.tilsonfunds.com/Personal/SchoolReform and let me know if you want to be on my school reform email list.

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Dear Mr. and Ms. Tilson,

 

I am writing to thank you on behalf of everyone here at TEAM Academy and Rise Academy.  It is generous people such as yourselves that make all of this possible.

 

My name is [] and I am a 14-year-old senior (8th grader) here at TEAM Academy.  For all of my life, I've lived in the heart of Newark, NJ, a city full of crime, poverty, and violence; a city that the average outsider looking in might compare to a piece of neglected trash; a place that has taught me that somedays we witness situations that our eyes are too naive to understand; a place that has shown me that life is NOT fair, it will leave you stranded with nowhere to go and nobody to call on.  Fortunately, I learned early on in this struggle that the only way to make it through is to have hope and to deeply believe that one day, it will all be better.

 

I found that hope when I started at TEAM Academy in September of 2004.  TEAM has been that helping hand in my life -- helping me overcome situations that could have dragged me down and destroyed me.  From having the house I lived in devoured by vicious flames, to only owning the clothes on my back and the love and faith in my heart, to watching every cell in my god-brother's brain lying on the sidewalk as a result of ignorant gun wars, TEAM has helped me through it all.  TEAM has taught me to cherish every second of life, the good and the bad.  TEAM has taught me that the only thing that can kill you is losing pride and confidence within yourself.

 

To be honest, if I wasn't at TEAM Academy, I would be running the streets myself, caught in the net that many people are too blind to avoid.  Boarding school and college wouldn't even be part of my vocabulary.  However, thanks to the guidance of my teachers and friends at TEAM Academy, my life is nowhere near that path.  Instead, I am a very intellectual young lady with many goals in life.  I look forward to living a positive life and helping those who need it.  TEAM Academy has helped me pursue many of my short-term goals, like gaining confidence in myself and expanding my academic reach overall.  Now, I read, write, and think on a much higher level; a level that some people in Newark never reach.

 

I would like to thank you for supporting TEAM Academy and our mission of success.  Your love is felt by us all.

 

Sincerely,

 

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