Gillian Garaci

Gillian is a student at the University of California Berkeley and is an Evolve Staff Member.

Why is education important to you?

I view education as a pathway to not only create an aware and productive public, but a means to leveling the inequalities present in society. I am lucky that although my high school was underfunded, and the only high school in its school district, I was able to reap significant benefits that have allowed me to pursue and grow several of my interests and further my intellectual exploration. Many other students, however, do not have this benefit and have felt the consequences of our underfunded education system. Neglected students don’t receive the adequate assistance from instructors that qualifies them acceptance into higher education that will allow for class mobility and a better future.

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

The most prevalent example of Pittsburg High School’s deficient funding was the teacher strikes that occurred during my Junior and Senior year of high school. Teachers were not receiving the salary that they deserved, especially since a lot of them take time away from their personal lives to adequately prepare and conduct their classes. Normally, teachers, especially those greatly dedicated to the betterment of their students, would come in an hour or more early to their classrooms to be available for any questions kids would have before class. Teachers would also not have enough time in the workday to grade papers and prepare for their classes, so they resort to taking time from their personal lives to do so. This does not also mention the fact that several of my teachers have also dipped into their own funds to appropriately provide classes the learning resources that we needed. When the strike was going on, papers were graded later, feedback on work was less available, and teachers themselves seemed more stressed out. The teachers of my high school had to do what they needed to in order for them to receive their proper pay; and I applaud them for it.

How has the increasing cost of college impacted you?

I first took up Political Science as my major with the intention of attending law school in the future. However, with the increasing cost of college and, simultaneously, law school, I needed to reassess where my future would lead. Not only are the costs of the school itself increasing, but the barriers to even qualify are getting larger and larger, preventing a diversity of backgrounds from pursuing the profession. For example, for a student to do well on the LSAT, a good prep program must be enrolled in—the best ones can cost up to a thousand dollars. There is no doubt that this will greatly impact how I will proceed not only with my post-graduation life, but also with how I will conduct my undergrad life.