Eliminating the opportunity gap
By Arnelle Ansong, ’18
I began noticing income disparity when I was a student at my middle school, which pulled students from cities and suburbs throughout the county. The realities of income disparity became even more obvious in high school, where students across the income bracket took classes together.
My interest in economic and educational inequity fed perfectly into my summer at Wishbone, an organization devoted to eliminating the opportunity gap. Wishbone helps low-income high school students find quality summer programs, empowers them to raise funds, and provides scholarships for unmet need.
To meet the needs of the organization’s rapid expansion, I collected information on existing programs in Wishbone’s Connecticut, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York regions. After gathering this network of programs, I updated Wishbone’s online database so that more students can access programs that suit them.
A visit to an engineering camp in San Francisco affirmed for me the significance of my work. There I met Jenny, who had almost no experience with electronics. During her summer, however, she learned enough to create solar-powered speakers!
Quality summer programs like these give students the opportunity to develop their passions. Everyone deserves access, and this summer gave me the space to explore and expand on my own passions.
