In the past few years, I’ve had several moments of realization centered around where I grew up. I didn’t realize until I came to college how much some people identify with the country, city, or even neighborhood where they grew up; while I jokingly establish that I’m from “upstate NY” in those get-to-know-you conversations, I never built a strong relationship with the area. However, I do now realize that I have a strong identity with the environment in which I grew up. I lived in the suburbs, and while my town was not underfunded by any means, it was also not an affluent area. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realized exactly where we fell on the spectrum and how that affected me in both my personal and academic lives.

I think the comments that the speakers made about the gulf between “bubbles” of poverty and affluence was really important. I don’t think either group truly understands exactly how others grow up until they start talking about it with others and realize the disparities. Additionally, their comments on the ways in which permanently affordable housing could be accomplished really hit home. Growing up and also now as a college student, the cost of living was always a stressful issue. It pains me to think about how many social issues could be fixed, but are left untreated for years because of policy and private businesses looking for financial profit. There should never be situations in which people have to think about whether they should pay for food or heat or suffer medically because of where they were born. At both a local and large scale, I think these are important topics to address, and spreading awareness is a good first step.