The last week of my junior year I had the most extraordinary and most memorable camping trip of my life. It also just so happened to be in the backyard of the ABC boys’ house. Adventurous, right? I can still recall all ten of us crammed into one tent (even though we had two up in the backyard) playing card games all night, pulling pranks on one another, reminiscing about our time spent together and how it had gone by so quickly.
A Better Chance, also known as ABC, is a national, non-profit organization that provides an opportunity for motivated students of color from low income areas to be able to receive a better education, such that one might receive at Edina High School. In the program at EHS and South View there are students from California, Texas, Ohio, and New York. Students in the program live in Edina during the school year and go home to their families during breaks. Even though we all have very different backgrounds and have grown up in different parts of the country, I have been able to develop relationships that will last a lifetime.
This year will be the 40th Anniversary of the Edina ABC program. According to Sherry Nuness, the program’s executive director, it didn’t have the easiest start 40 years ago: the previous owner of the home had to go to court to allow ABC to purchase the house in Edina.
The program’s 100th student graduated in 2005. Over the course of the program, graduates have gone on to attend colleges and universities such as Berkley, Stanford, USC, Wellesley, and many more schools.
I was born and raised in California. Yes, California, known for the amazing beaches, sunshine all year, and movie stars. It has all of that, but not all of California is the California you see on TV or the parts you might have visited over Spring Break. I lived in Southern California, in the heart of Orange County. My city isn’t quite like those you know from the FOX series The OC. My city has a diverse community. I am from a community where, at night, you grow accustomed to the sirens of ambulances and cop cars whining up and down your street. Guys with white beater shirts, shaved heads, and their shorts down to their ankles are a common sight, and a shooting going on near your home is just part of the weekly routine. Graffiti is everywhere: on the sidewalks, buildings, walls, and even on the neighboring schools. You know better than to leave your bike on your porch or in the front yard, because it probably won’t be there the next day. But this is where my family is, and this is my home.
Without a doubt, A Better Chance has played a huge role in my life and I will never forget the opportunities it has given me to advance in life. I attend a school where I feel challenged; my EHS peers are some of the brightest people I have ever met. I’ve been able to challenge myself. Though it isn’t always easy being away from my family and friends in California, I don’t regret a single moment of being in ABC. Because of this program, I am who I am today.
It is my senior year, and the journey has gone by faster than I imagined. I’ve met so many different people and made memories that I’ll take with me through my life.
One moment that sticks out in my mind was my first time (attempting) rollerblading and how two of the girls in the house were right by my side holding my hands while I was screaming my brains out. Even now, it makes me smile to think of our hilarious conversations at dinner. Moments like these affirm that the sacrifices I make not being with my family really are worth it. This is my fourth year in the program and I have memories that will last a lifetime.
