Shock the roots of my system

There are millions and millions of people seeking to make a better life for themselves and their families throughout this country.  Some are born here in difficult circumstances.  Others come here from faraway places following life changing events.  It is the American dream and hope. 

I met a young women named Abbey the other day and have pledged to help her personally transverse the difficult road.  She came to the United States during the civil war in her country - Sierra Leone in southern Africa near New Guinea in 2005.  She has her Green Card, a gift from her country won through a lottery system.  She is in her thirties.  In her circumstances, she left her country thinking her two sons and fiancee were killed by the Rebels only to learn a year later they escaped and resettled by her bother.  Abbey has not seen her two boys, 11 and 13 for five years.  She sends money as she earns it to help pay for food, clothing and school.  She also sends money home to her mom, who is ill and her brother.

I am a second generation American.  My father has done a great job exploring our family tree and telling his children where and how our grandparents arrived in America when their parents sought refuge from tyranny in Russia during the serious convulsion of the early 20th century.  My mother's parents came to America from Poland before World War I.  So, it was less than 100 years ago my family was facing what Abbey is now facing.

Abbey works two jobs and 70+ hours per week.  She works at the home where my Dad lives and another nursing home near Darby, Pennsylvania.  She handles two shifts from 11pm to 7am and then 11am to 7pm driving between the jobs and attends nursing school 3 days a week seeking her LPN on her days off from work.   She is a nursing assistant and caregiver.  She drives across the Commodore Barry Bridge into southern New Jersey three days a week to attend a small for-profit and State approved school called Southern New Jersey Tech.  I can't imagine how much sleep she gets.  Given all this, I was impressed by her personality and spirit.  She has a sense of humor and religious trust in others, to a point I would say is naive.

I would infer there are billions throughout the world like Abbey seeking a better life.  We are sheltered from them because of distance. They would do anything to be in my circumstances here in the United States, free of war and turmoil.  Abbey is here in the United States by herself.  She has no family.  She has friends where she lives in Darby, Pennsylvania.  She socializes with many from her country and similar background she meets working and going to school.  They are like a clan, driving, eating and even sharing rooms.  Abbey does not have her own place.  When I first met Abbey, all her personal belongings fit into a plastic shopping bag, including her small cloth purse. 

My career and focus has been on higher education.  That focus has kept me away from other postsecondary education providers like professional schools until meeting Abbey.  New Jersey Tech is not accredited as a college.  They are approved to provide LPN diplomas in Nursing by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development of New Jersey.  There is no financial aid.  No student grants.  No help to help her pay the $13,000 tuition.  It is a cash and carry school. How can we expect to raise someone's standard of living when they have to live on $15K a year, attend school, pay for family support, try and become a citizen and struggle to pay to make calls weekly to stay connected in the lives of her family?

Abbey has paid $11,000 in tuition (Cash) with no financial aid, loans or help. That is two thirds her take home pay not considering taxes. There seems to be about 40 adults, mostly African or minorities attending this institution to get their diploma in Nursing by the end of October. They are being sold the value of a diploma on the basis it will have some worth in the labor market because New Jersey has approved them. Yet, New Jersey offers no aid program or assistance for this part of the market.  Something I will attempt to challenge on another plane of thought. Abbey still owes $1,500 and the school's owner won't let her sit and finish class this month, allowing her to graduate as planned at the end of October.  It is their tactic to put pressure on students who can ill afford it. She told me this last week and I have been trying to find information on the school, its program, management and policies. They have no website. No listing in directories I can find. So, I am of course very suspect.

I am also trying to make arrangements for her to make her final payment. But, giving her $1,500 directly without having some assurance the school is legitimate and her diploma will mean something to her career is pretty tough to swallow from my vantage point. Yet, I am still going to do it all the same. I will be really mad if I find out this school is not legit.

This may sound crazy, but the licensing of schools operating under the approval of New Jersey should have better procedures for helping students and their sponsors/friends. At the least, the State should require a website for the school, to publish contact information, policies and methods of making payment or better yet, to get loans and aid. At the least, the State website should have the schools listed. I could not find anything easily. I may have not been looking in the right place though.

From a national perspective, a country born from immigration and that has mushroomed to a world power; we (in general) treat these people terribly. But, she is one of millions I am sure. This one, I am going to help.  This one can make a small difference.
Abbey's situation is not unique for sure. She recognizes she needs to improve her knowledge and training to uplift her life.  She is motivated.  She is working hard. But, I also know she is attending an unaccredited school which will be her first step on the ladder.  I have tried to lecture her in vain on the telephone and in person. I can't convince her to transfer to a local community college on fears she will have to start over. She still wants to get her citizenship, move to an apartment, get her kids to join her in the US and finally get married to her fiancee that is taking care of her kids back in Sierra Leon. That will take thousands of dollars and years of effort. So, who am I to take her off course?

This is the underbelly of the education market that needs to improve and reform in my view – and we never hear about it until you run into it directly.  That is why I call it a shock to the roots of our system. Because, when we shock a tree by moving it and replanting it during the growing phase, the leaves fall off and it almost goes into a death spiral. And, it takes a year or so to get its health back. Some don't survive. We work in education to make a difference. To nurture success, means we need to take risks and help where we can. I know Abbey will be one of the lucky ones. And, I hope my message helps others reach out to help others like her.