My generation has different priorities.

Sitting down to coffee with a college senior is always an adventure. After the sweaty hand shake and the introductions, most quickly warm up after I tell them about my husband, dog & adventure finding parking at their campus. Almost unilaterally soon-to-be grads are really excited about life, their potential and are totally petrified. They are facing the reality of leaving the bubble of higher-ed and all of its amenities (How many of us wish every now and then for that dinning hall downstairs that we bemoaned daily in college?) to face rent, loan payoff & the career ladder climb at which most are reaching for the very bottom rung.

It is amazing how quickly sharing some of the statistics of the national achievement gap can change the direction of the conversation. When I tell my “prospects” that 50% of students going to low-income schools won’t graduate from high school and those that do are reading on a 8^th grade reading level upon entering college, eyes pop, and jaws drop. They are shocked that they were the lucky ones to be born in the right zip-code to be afforded the opportunity to not only graduate from high school, but to go on and be successful at a prestigious four-year institution.

That is when you see my generation. The generation that won’t stand for this kind of injustice. I have seen a student with a 3.9 cumulative GPAs, holding an offer from a prominent consulting firm lay that aside for the children of our country. And he was not the exception.

With affluence & recognition within sight, the young leaders of our country are being called to something different; they are taking a radical stand for justice and equity in our country. They believe in the ideals that our nation touts, equal opportunity for all. And they are willing to make the opportunity a reality.

This year alone, I saw over 60 top college graduates turn down or defer offers from the government, graduate schools and high-paying job opportunities. They did so to fight for what they and I believe is vital to the elimination of poverty in our country, American children's access to an excellent education.