Keva Rale

Keva is a current student at UC Berkeley and an Evolve summer intern!

How has public education impacted your life?

I grew up in a family of educators and have always been taught to value my teachers. Good educators not only encourage students to expand their minds, they also stand at the frontline of the fight against economic and racial segregation and provide an essential safe space for the children they serve. Despite attending a wealthy public school system, I often witnessed my mother purchase her own school supplies and spend countless hours of her personal time searching for new ways to help her students. There is no question in my mind that educators deserve to be rewarded for their hard work with more funding and more resources. Additionally, I noticed early on that the best financed public schools in my state (Connecticut) were majority white and that POC-heavy school districts were often grossly underfunded in comparison. Therefore, in order to attend a well-resourced school district, I lived in a majority white community and suffered from acts of racism and feelings of isolation throughout my educational experience. This is why I staunchly believe that public education should be fully funded and accessible to all students, regardless of zip code and regardless of skin color. 

Why should fully-funding public education be a priority?

Ever since I moved to California to attend university, I have grown even more invested in the cause of fully-funded public education. As an out of state individual, I always pictured California as the state with the best schools and the best public resources. I was shocked to discover that California schools are more underfunded than those in my own home state, and that resources which could be allocated to providing an excellent public education are instead tied up in the hands of wealthy corporations. I spoke extensively with my in-state friends about teacher’s strikes, a previously unfamiliar concept, and grew impassioned by their frustration. I am interning at Evolve because even though I did not grow up in California, I believe that California students and educators deserve a fighting chance … one that they do not have under the bounds of Proposition 13. On a more positive note, I am also amazed by California’s geographic and demographic diversity. I want to help California prove to the rest of the nation that diversity is no barrier to success, and that students of all backgrounds can thrive when gifted with equal opportunity.