Emphasis added to this quote.
Last month my fellow Times contributing writer Megan Stack wrote an essay about the unpredictability of life, how things can still turn out all right even for the troublemakers and the academically flailing. My life is a testament to her point. But having lived through that life arc, I also know that whatever vision I began to craft for myself required the willingness of adults to take a risk on a kid who, on paper, looked thoroughly unpromising.
For those who donât know, this was a follow-up to the column that was shared in this thread:
I also really liked this quote from the article when the author was talking with the admissions officer at North Central who had let her in. Sometimes we forget how interwoven we all are and how much impact we can have by just by affecting one person. It helps turn a lens on all of our actions, every day, because we never know when weâll be that positive thing in someone elseâs life that will change their day, week, or life.
It might seem like low stakes, a matter of acceptance or rejection for just that one life, just that one person. âBut itâs not just one person,â Mr. Spencer told me, âbecause one person impacts so many.â
Perhaps it will give some perspective for those fearing that their âlowâ 3.7 HS GPA will doom their future.
That really speaks to the power of second (and third and fourth) chances. I do think itâs unfortunately true that itâs much tougher for any young person today to get the kind of fresh start that the author got back in the 80âs.
But another quote is striking too - the man who gave her the chance reflecting that, nowadays, âFor someone taking a chance on somebody, thereâs going to be much more exposure to âWhy this person and why not this person?â I didnât have to worry about any of that.â As much as he did a wonderful thing for this one student, it does make me wonder about the flip side of that statement. What equally-deserving people he might have turned away, because a greater divide between his world and theirs would have made it too difficult for him to take that chance on them? He felt, and acted upon, solidarity with this young woman; could he have done the same for someone with whom he had less in common?
How do we strike the delicate balance between making it possible for individuals to take a chance on on other individuals in whom they see promise, while also seeking to provide equity of opportunity? (ETA: simply shutting down the possibility of second chances for everyone does, technically, improve âequity,â but not in a desirable wayâŠ)
This is a very moving essay.
I think we tend to discount (or choose not to see) all the people in our own lives who have had second chances. Young people who battled substance abuse for a while but have turned their lives around; immigrants who came here and instead of working as a nurse (their profession in their country of origin) started on the housekeeping staff of a hotel or hospital until they learned enough English to restart their careers; adults who were in accidents or suffered a stroke; injured in the military who had to relearn how to walk/talk/stand.
Taking the time to see people is the first step IMHO towards becoming someone who can give other people the opportunity to reboot.