This week was the first time that I’d informally met some of the DFA students, in very few words, it was unpredictable. We began at the Southwest Kitchen where the adults prepared breakfast for the student before we all went out for a day packed with Detroit and Chicago based activities. (Some time was spent researching Chicago because this day was also being used to prepare for their trip to Chicago that happened this week).
As we went about the day, I talked to some of the students and we got along pretty well. As expected there were some characters but the most interesting part for me was when I just sat with some students and talked to them about their future and what they want to do in the long run. The variation was incredible. One of my favorite conversations was when I talked to this group of girls about college. Only two outwardly intended to go to college, one of the two was being forced to by her mom. While one of the other girls was explicitly against it and one didn’t say much regarding the topic. This was much different from state of mind that I was taught to have while I was growing up. I was taught that the only choice regarding college was where you’re going to attend. I tried my best not to preach at them the benefits of college, or how many scholarships that they could apply for, so I listened and tried my best to take all of the information in as they expressed their varying opinions.
Throughout the day as I talked to these kids, I gathered so much from people whose lives and experiences were much different from mine. I spent more of the day listening than talking but that’s the easiest way to interact with people who are in a different situation than you are.
