Wednesday: I found the article about 18 year old, Tiffany Clay, extremely disturbing. Clay is a senior at Newark High school in Ohio and the best violinist in the orchestra. While her band teacher claims she should be moving on to study music at a top college and should get a scholarship, the odds are stacked against her because of her financial situation. While the article briefly profiles Clay, it also takes a look at the decreasing graduation rate and employment rate in her town, along with the growing number of poverty stricken. The article made a very valid point about how people used to be able to get decent jobs enabling them to "pay the mortgage, get a new car, and take holiday trips- all without a high school diploma" (Barry 1)". However, those jobs are now gone, leaving handfuls of high school drop-outs jobless.

Looking at Clay's situation and the employment crisis in her town makes me very thankful for the education I'm able to recieve and the opportunities that are available to me both now and in the future.