Genevieve Lorin Davis

Genevieve Lorin Davis is a graduate of Wells College and a former campaign organizer at Evolve.

Why is education important to you?

Coming from a family of educators and being an educator myself, the topic of education is something that is incredibly close to me. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing education on both sides of the spectrum in terms of resources-- I was able to attend both privately funded, affluent schools and deeply underfunded Oakland public schools. Witnessing that type of injustice and inequity in the contrasting experiences solidified my passion and fueled my journey to assure that every person has equal access to a quality education regardless of their socioeconomic standing. It led me to understand that education is not only a bridge to close the opportunity gap in terms of social mobility in this country but is also vital for the function of America’s democracy.

How has California's lack of education funding negatively impacted you?

One of the first times I was able to truly identify inequity in education was in my transition from a private middle school to an Oakland public high school. While I graduated eighth grade with only 40 other students, my incoming class at Oakland Technical High School was 800. My first day of freshman year, some of my classes were so overenrolled that there weren’t enough desks for students to sit at and several students were reduced to sitting on the counters lining the classroom. The challenges continued throughout high school-- the lack of textbooks, school supplies, and overcrowded classrooms. Though the underfunding negatively contributed to my high school education, I found that the population of students and what they had to share in class as well as the dedication of many of my teachers-- even when they had very little support--educated me in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to experience other places. It allowed me to understand the necessity for both a well-resourced education and a diverse population-something that benefits every party involved. 

How has the increasing cost of college impacted you?

When looking at colleges my senior year of high school, it was a shock to learn that attending a private college in New York would actually be less expensive or the same amount as attending state colleges in California. Furthermore, many of the factors in educational experience that I knew I needed to succeed academically were simply not available at state schools such as small class sizes and thoroughly engaged faculty. Relying on my mother’s income as a public high school teacher who was also putting another child through college with one more to come after me, I graduated college with a fair amount of debt for both my family and me. I truly feel that everyone has the right to further their education as far as they want to without taking on massive amounts of debt. However, that is just not the reality right now and that negatively impacts our entire population.