Accounting Case

After thirteen years of attending an all girls' catholic school, I became an expert on what it takes to wear plaid and the importance of serving in my community. Although I always appreciated my education, it was not until my plaid jumper became a skirt when I realized such a rigorous curriculum is not the norm, especially for those living in Pakistan, Iran, and the outskirts of San Francisco. Quickly losing the skirt, I entered college where my freedom is taken over by school-sponsored events, focusing on lectures given by successful community leaders. I am finding it difficult to take full advantage of all the endless opportunities offered, whereas there are many people who wish to be offered a portion of the advantages students assume.

Universities can offer the most demanding courses and interesting opportunities but cannot teach perceptive street skills, whereas there are plenty of people who are trying for a better education but do not have the means to do so. In "Teaching Literature at the County Jail" by Christina Boufis, she writes about he experience between teaching at a women jail in San Francisco and her students at University of California, Berkeley. In both locations, Boufis teaches Sula by Toni Morrison. Her "Berkeley students are frustrated with Morrison for not providing explanations" while her jail students were able ignore Morrison's vagueness and pick up on the criminal references (Boufis 98). In my readings of Sula in high school, my classmates and I had a hard time understanding some of the cultural differences. My class was made up of all white students who are unable to comprehend any of the race issues the characters were facing, while the inmates, clad in orange jumpsuits, were able to sympathize with the character's segregation. Although my classmates and I were unable to reflect on race issues portrayed in Sula, I was able to empathize with the women characters and their struggle to be taken seriously. While I read the Morrison books as fiction, it is a version of the reality the women face outside of the San Francisco County Jail.

Although there are breaches in education laws throughout the United States, women in the Middle East are fighting for an education. In "The Veil", by Marjane Satrapi, Marji dealt with gender issues when the Iranian government separated boys from girls into different schools and mandated women wearing veils. As Iranian women struggle for education equality, Malala Yousafzai spoke to the United Nations in order to gain support for equal education for girls (Yousafzai 41-43). All over the world women are struggling for the opportunities that are given to me through my community at home and at Fairfield University.

Although I am grateful for all those opportunities, I should focus more on giving back to the communities that have offered so much to me. I participated in many service activities that focused on education in