Higher Ed Utah

(Alaina Allred, The Dixie Sun) — “Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country.”

This quote by John F. Kennedy has a lot more meaning to me now that I am attending college. Going to an institution of higher education not only affects those students attending, but also our country as a whole and the society we live in.

Having the privilege to attend college in America is something we, as Americans, must strive to maintain and make better. Unfortunately, there are some Americans who don’t believe going to college will bring any sort of benefit to them or to our society.

In a recent conversation with my sister, I asked her if she was thinking about going back to school. She had just received a promotion at her job, and things were looking up for her. She has never attended any sort of educational institution after graduating from high school other than a few years at a hair school. To answer my question, she ranted about how college is unnecessary for the betterment of her life.

“If the government wants me to go to college, then they should pay me to go, not the other way around,” my sister said.

This conversation set my mind in motion. I don’t believe college is something the government is forcing people to do. The government forces you to attend kindergarten up until your senior year of high school. You attend a college or university if you choose to do so.

On the other hand, I can see where my sister gets her logic. Sometimes it seems as though the government has its dirty hands in every aspect of society, including institutions of higher education. Expending so much time and energy for a letter on a piece of paper may feel tedious and superfluous, making the stresses of college not worth the effort on occasion.

I am guilty of having these feelings countless times throughout each semester. But I have something to say to my sister and to all of you: Being college educated is something to be proud of.

To read the rest of this story from the Dixie Sun, click here.