A More Promising Future for Hartford Youth

As the ambassador of Hartford, I have been interested in finding information about the betterment of Hartford.  I know that I share the same apprehensions about the city that my peers have which is why I think it is important to learn about the proactive measures taken to try to improve the quality of life for Hartford citizens.  As I mentioned in my blog post, I am interested in learning about public school education in Hartford.  I came across an article on The Hartford Currant website about a scholarship fund that would enable graduates of Hartford public high schools to attend Connecticut state universities. 

                Superintendent Christina Kishimoto proposed the scholarship program on Tuesday.  She is currently looking for businesses willing to pay for the scholarships and although she recognizes that finding enough donors is a difficult task, especially during a time where the economy is not at its greatest, she believes that this scholarship program has the potential to be very successful.  Promise Kalamazoo, a similar scholarship program in Michigan that provides high school graduates with free tuition to a public university in Michigan, has raised $17 million for Kalamazoo students.  Being able to provide full scholarships for all Hartford public school graduates seems unrealistic right now but Kishimoto is hoping that partial scholarships will be offered along with public colleges reserving seats for Hartford graduates.  Because of the widespread poverty in Hartford, a program like this could really make a positive impact in the lives of underprivileged students who would not be able to attend college due to the costs.  Kishimoto notes that with the improvements in state wide testing, more students will be academically capable of going to college than in the past. 

                I really hope that this program receives adequate funding so that more students from the area are able to attend college.  I think that if this program works out there will be a notable change in the crime rates. If students are able to focus on maintaining good grades with the goal of graduating and attending college they will stay off of the streets and away from the gang activity and violence that plagues the city.  If younger students have the long term goal of going to college in the back of their mind and are surrounded by college educated role models they will be less likely to get involved in crime.  A safer city will attract more people into Hartford and there will be less fear about going into the city.  This scholarship program is desperately needed and I hope that it will provide better futures for Hartford youth.