Laneka's Story

My passion is education.

I realized my passion for learning after my first trip to Guatemala with a youth program, where I met indigenous Guatemalan girls. I learned that they couldn’t go to school because education was too expensive, even though they truly wanted to learn. After this experience, I became more motivated and passionate about getting my education and one day being able to support people who want to learn.

As an ambitious student, I would like the chance to attend SuperCamp Senior Forum. I hope this program will expand my education by giving me the opportunity to learn from peers and professors that I would not otherwise be able to meet. Being able to experience college classes in a vigorous learning environment would help me to visualize my future self in college.

The biggest obstacle that I've faced was being told in middle school that the only way to go to college was to go to a private high school. As the time came to apply to high school, we visited private schools where they had laptops for every kid, unlike my school in West Oakland, where we didn't have a library. Reality hit when I was rejected from these schools, and a part of me felt that I wouldn't make it to college.

I ended up going to a charter high school that promised the students a voice of opinion in the school. Even though my school isn't a private school with lots of money, the experience of having a voice has made me realize that it’s my actions that will get me to college.