This morning, I returned my first rental car, without a scratch! I did my research and was able to get the under age driver fee waived by registering with USAA. Over the weekend, my family and I were overjoyed to feel what it was like to have a car. We went to a restaurant, the grocery store, church, and the movie theater. I even faced my fear and drove on a rainy night! (I read the manual prior, so I knew how to turn on the windshield wipers!). Although my thesis is not progressing as I would like, I am thrilled to have accomplished this long-time goal. I am [finally] a driver!
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I did it! Two days ago, I passed my road test! I feel so empowered. I could not have done it without those who offered me support--whether in the form of a lesson, a pep talk, or a prayer. I am so proud of myself for my persistence in accomplishing this goal. I feel like a brand new woman! While I may not be purchasing a car immediately, I am overjoyed to have overcome this seemingly unyielding obstacle in my life. May this be the beginning of much progress ahead!
My lack of a driver's license has become increasingly crippling for me. Since I grew up in New York City, Driver's Education was not a priority for me. Although I was always interested in driving, I never had a feasible opportunity to learn. My mother does not know how to drive, and public transportation was more than adequate for our traveling needs. During my college years in Ithaca, I learned that I was lacking an essential skill-- a life skill. However, I was not in a position to pay for private Driver's Education and no scholarships or non-profit lessons were available. Still, I completed the pre- licensing requirements and was able to land a few informal lessons with a couple of friends in the community.
Today, I am still struggling to obtain my driver's license. The cost of Driver's Education is only rising, and my brain cells are continually pruning. I am determined to acquire this important life skill. I have a road test scheduled and would be extremely proud of myself if I were able to obtain my license this month. However, since I have no experience parallel parking and still cannot afford lessons, I am not sure that I will be able to pass the road test. This experience, which may seem trivial to someone who learned to drive as a teen, has been really humbling for me. I have been stranded in the heat waiting for buses that never showed up, I have had to miss church for entire winters due to no Sunday bus service, and I have had to walk along pedestrian-unfriendly roads to get to places that are not on the bus route (such as the grocery store and laundromat). I have also had limited residential options--having to rent more expensive apartments that are close to campus. I have been self-conscious about my image as I walk miles in the extreme heat or bitter cold--knowing that as a Black woman pushing a stroller, I would be perceived differently than someone who appeared to be walking to be "green" or eco- friendly. Lacking a driver's license has been a pervasive obstacle for me--one that I look forward to some day overcoming. Having the ability to drive is not only about being able to get around. My lack of a driver's license has been an obstacle in my pursuit of various opportunities, as internship and employment positions increasingly require a driver's license. Moreover, it has affected my sense of agency--my self efficacy. I hope that one day, I am able to support others lacking this type of life skill, whether through Driver's Education scholarships for local driving schools or grant-funded lessons at a local community center. Writing my thesis proposal has been quite an eye-opening process for me. I am learning more about my style as a researcher as I mine the literature, organize the proposal sections, craft my arguments, weave in my sources, and maintain fluidity. I genuinely enjoy exploring the literature and am often surprised to find an article of interest published as recently as within a week of the day I am searching. Seeing new publications released inspires me and stirs within me a sense of urgency to contribute to the field. I realize that my sense of urgency is most fueled when I am preparing to collect primary data. I am excited to see whether the results from my regression analyses suggest a relationship between family structure and adult psychosocial wellness. However, I yearn for the opportunity to, in this case, follow up with street-identified men and women with varying family structures to learn about how they think their family situations affect their well-being. I can imagine a focus group with street-oriented parents in which they discuss the (im)balance between their family life and the other parts of their lives. I can envision, for example, non-residential fathers discussing how they grapple with engaging in illegal activity to provide for themselves and their children, some of whom they may rarely see (for varying reasons). For now, I must focus on analyzing the psychological well-being and social cohesion subscales of the Wilmington PAR survey. Although qualitative data was collected in this large project, those data are beyond the scope of my thesis analyses. However, I look forward to the (hopefully near) future when I can conduct mixed-methods research and invest the time needed to engage respectfully with both qualitative and quantitative data.
Student loans fester
Not Waiting for Superman No child left behind The line's always long
At the welfare office No one stands together For my Master's thesis, I will be conducting regression analyses on data from the Wilmington Participatory Action Research Project to examine the relationship between family structure and psychosocial well-being in street- identified men and women.
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AuthorI am an Assistant Professor of Public Health who engages in research, evaluation, and community work that effects positive change in individuals, families, and communities. Archives
June 2020
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