Families in the district have a median per capita income of $106,000, more than twice the national average of $48,000. While many high school students at other schools will have to pay for college by way of student loans, many students here will enter college through their parents’ funding.

This “head start” which children from wealthy families often have, with money enabling better schooling and more time to attend to school grades and with the means to afford extracurricular experiences, leave many students with the expectation that life will always be one where money is there when you need it. Whereas people at this high school assume that what they do in this school is “hard work”, they don’t have the experience that others in less-affluent communities may have.

Millions in America grow up hungry, providing an idea of what “scraping the barrel” looks like. Those who grow up in such ways may undergo emotional and socio-economic stress unlike what many of us may not endure, which will force them into situations that require keen thinking for their survival. The ambition and confidence given by supporting one’s family and the steel it takes to undergo such stresses gives experience in stressful situations which better prepare one for the job world.

The key is to utilize the time and funding you have to spread your experiences, for the sake of understanding what it takes to survive on the brink of failure, or engage in obstacles now while you have support. Going on summer camps in foreign countries or engaging in volunteer activities and then linking that to yourself may provide experiences that will help you later in life.

Money is important, and it would be wasteful to throw away what you have now to live poor, but understanding how lower income individuals have to work to survive will help you engage with a wider part of society and help you see the struggles you missed out on, which make them stronger on an internal level.

There are ways to ensure cognizance of the issue, in how you live and what you do for others. Making efforts to help the poor opens you up to how they live, the most important part of the experience. Being humbled to understanding helps you realize just how good you have it, making you realize you may not have that same success after your funding is gone. After college something as drastic as joining the Peace Corps is always something one can do if they have the resources to do so, an experience that will make change for many.

Being aware is the most important part, as otherwise we could be left out of college with no money and no idea what to do.