“What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore and then run……..”
“These words from the great poet, Langston Hughes, immediately came to mind when I was asked to share my thoughts on how the Students to Scholars program has helped my grandson.
Many children start out early in life with big dreams and goals but somewhere along the way those dreams get “deferred” because of a public educational system that fails them. My grandson was one of those students who was falling through the cracks. Public school did not help him develop a vision for success beyond the football field. He struggled academically but continued to be pushed along in a system that rewards teachers and school systems for students who “pass” versus “fail.” Because his mother, grandmother and grandfather are all college educated, we wanted something more for him. We wanted him to have a vision of what a successful future could look like beyond sports.
Then in comes Students to Scholars. They saw a gift in my grandson and became another advocate for his academic success. As a result, he was admitted to Carolina Friends School for middle school.
The adjustment wasn’t easy, especially when you are one of a very small handful of people of color in the entIre middle school. Also, there was no football team so he had to adjust to not being able to play a sport he loves dearly. But eventually, we started to noIce some differences. The one thing he often talked about is how much smaller the classroom sizes are, which helped him to focus more. He felt like the teachers cared about him and wanted to help him achieve success. Some even came out to support him when he played on the Intramural Community football team.
Had it not been for the Students to Scholars program, I’m not sure what his academic status would be today. Students to Scholars gives opportunities for students like my grandson to get on an even playing field academically. His dreams are no longer deferred.”
S2S grandparent
