The american dream
The American Dream
Pavements paved with gold
Equal starting line for all
The thrill of being part of a whole
Equal in spite of inequalities
Accepted
United by differences
Given the same tools to grow
Everyone is free to succeed.
Poem written by
Musa Mahoney and Valeriya Tyurina
Pavements paved with gold
Equal starting line for all
The thrill of being part of a whole
Equal in spite of inequalities
Accepted
United by differences
Given the same tools to grow
Everyone is free to succeed.
Poem written by
Musa Mahoney and Valeriya Tyurina
Project Statement
The American dream is said to symbolize America, a place where everyone is equal in having the same chance to succeed, despite their differences. However, throughout the years it has dwindled to little more than an actual dream, one you forget as soon as you wake up in the morning. The reason being that not everyone begins the race at the same starting line. As college tuition rises and as standards for jobs increase, the system does not do justice for lower and middle class families.
People from all over the world admire our civil rights system and the opportunity that anyone has to succeed by working hard. We believe that our education system should have a culture of encouragement embedded in it. Not all American children are given equal tools to succeed. Therefore, the American dream is not equally available to all citizens.
True freedom can only be achieved through education. In America, education is a civil right. The right to an equal and high quality education should be granted to all. The March on Washington was to fight for American civil rights and equality for all. And yet, fifty years later disparities still exist within the public education system.
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It is time to reshape the education system of New York City. The first steps we need to take include the establishment of universal pre-k, less emphasis on standardized testing, and the equal distribution of taxpayer funds for all school districts of New York City.
interviews
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Roger Lehecka '67CC '74TC retired from a long career at Columbia University at the end of 2004. Among other positions he held at the University, he was Dean of Students for 19 years. He was a founder of Columbia's Upward Bound Program in 1965, an experience that taught him more about the ways access to college is not equally available to all talented youngsters. His three years with Upward Bound led to a career in higher education that always focused on expanding opportunity for those previously excluded from a college education. He remains involved at Columbia in a number of ways and has been teaching the Equity in Higher Education seminar with Prof. Delbanco annually since 2007. In his current work Mr. Lehecka helps low-income students from New York City, rural Pennsylvania, and central Florida get admitted to good colleges and find the financial aid to attend. He continues to advise them throughout college, wherever they enroll, to help them through the difficult times most students face. Mr. Lehecka attended New York City public schools before entering Columbia College. He has a Masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as an A.B. and M.Phil. from Columbia University.