Carly Schaaf
Carly Schaaf is the former Campaign Organizer at Evolve California and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
Why is education important to you?
Education is the bedrock of any well-functioning and desirable society. Regardless of one’s values or ideology, it’s likely that high-quality education constitutes an indispensable part of what one’s ideal society should guarantee access to. Education can instill the values, interests, and cognitive tools that allow people to make meaning of their lives, navigate important and complex decisions, and learn to live cooperatively with and around others. These benefits not only make for a well-functioning democracy, but are what make education a major determinant of important life outcomes such as an health, happiness, and socioeconomic status. Given these important correlations, education should be treated with the kind of sanctity and care reserved for things that directly affect people’s health and safety.
How has California's lack of education funding negatively impacted you?
The educational part of my high school experience was lackluster. With around 45+ students per class, my teachers struggled to provide an educational experience that resembled the engaging, supportive, and warm environment an educational setting should be. Rather, the classroom felt like a holding cell and the teacher like a disciplinarian. With authority figures surrounding me, and little understanding of the importance of the content they were delivering, I responded poorly. I was directionless, insubordinate, and cared little for my longterm plans. It wasn’t until I began working in a service job the following year that I realized education is a gift, one that I should consider myself fortunate to have access to. Thanks to California’s community college system, I was able to act on my newfound appreciation for school, eventually transferring to UC Berkeley and graduating with a set of values and motivations that currently allow me to lead a life full of meaning that is driven by curiosity.
Unfortunately, these kinds of stories are too often hampered by the mountains of debt students face in seeking to get an education. I know firsthand the anxiety that student debt causes, and many would-be students find the prospect of debt altogether prohibitive. With the UC regents currently planning to raise tuition yet again, education is slated to become a luxury good, not a public one.
What made you want to pursue this career?
Given the transformative effects that a high quality education can have, the pervasive lack of access to it is disgraceful. I work on this issue because reforming Prop. 13 is the single best option California has in order to restore its public education system and fundamentally change the future of our society for the better.