Think education is expensive. Try ignorance.

I recently saw that on a bumper sticker. I usually don’t write first-person articles, but the Keep Learning initiative is basically the story of my life and that of some of my friends. We grew up either poor or working class. Our parents picked cotton, worked in the fields, or came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their backs. My parents met in a sweatshop.

But we all had something else in common: Families who valued education and saw it as essential to having a better life.

The Aroaz Family

Born in Cuba, both Blanca and Reniero Araoz came to the United States as refugees with just the clothes on their back in the 1960s, and neither spoke English. Both of them later graduated from Eastern High School, with Blanca earning a medical assistant certificate and now working for the Sparrow Health System. Reniero has his master’s degree and worked his way through the Lansing School District from a bilingual counselor/teacher to being the principal at Eastern to eventually becoming the director of secondary education. He is currently on loan to AdvancED, a national teacher certification program.

“My dad emphasized education,” said Reniero. “He tried to go to MSU, but the language barrier was too hard. I was the first one in the family to graduate from college.”

Reniero became interested in education after volunteering in the migrant camps. Now he and Blanca pass on that educational message to their three children.

“It’s always been important in our household to do well in school,” said their oldest, Carlos, who currently attends Spring Arbor University. “With my dad working in education, it’s been a natural [subject] around here.”

“I was definitely raised to appreciate what I have, and education is a big part of that,” added oldest daughter Rebecca, who just started at MSU. “I was always encouraged to excel and that I will have more success with an education.”

“Education is very important,” noted the youngest, Tessa, who just entered middle school. “It gives you money and gets you a job. It gets you through life easier.”

“Today, a high school diploma is not going to do it,” added Reniero. “You either have to have a three-year technical degree or some type of advanced degree or skill to be successful.”

The Montemayor Family

Rodrigo “Rafael” Montemayor came from Mexico with very little education. His wife, Rosalinda, graduated from Eastern High School and attended LCC. Rafael retired a few years ago from the construction industry, and Rosalinda worked as a store manager and teaching assistant. Together they raised their four children with the belief that the only way to thrive was to be educated.

“Education has been instilled in us from a very young age,” said daughter Isabelle, who earned her master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Texas this past spring on full scholarship. “My father wasn’t given that opportunity, so he came to the United States. He told us to take advantage of every opportunity we could.”

Isabel is currently working on her doctorate in anthropology at MSU.

“To have a good life, especially here in the United States, education is very key,” said youngest son, Julio, who attends LCC in the criminal justice program and hopes to go to the police academy. “It is possible to make it without an education, and going through school is a hard process, but in the long run, it pays.”

“I didn’t have the guidance that these kids have today,” said Rosalinda. “We never pushed our kids as to what to be, but we said, ‘Get some sound background for what you want to do with your future.’”

Oldest son Rafael graduated from University of Michigan on a full scholarship and is a deputy sheriff. Oldest daughter Angelina works at an insurance company.

The Willis Family

Franca Tricoci-Willis came to the United States from Italy at the age of two. Her father always emphasized education to his children.

“When he came to the United States, he saw that schooling was very important,” said Franca. “He didn’t see us working in a factory. He wanted us to go to school to open up opportunities for better employment. I felt I had to go to college. It was extremely important to him.”

Her husband, Charles, came from Mississippi as a child because his mother saw an opportunity for a better life. Charles admitted being really tempted to stay at Oldsmobile after high school, but Franca’s father talked him out of it.

“He told me to go back to school, and then I found the firefighting profession, which has been very good to the Willis family,” he stated.

Charles graduated from the fire academy at LCC, has earned numerous state and national certifications, and attended Spring Arbor University. He was with the Lansing Fire Department for 25 years, retiring as assistant fire chief in 2005. “The next day, I went to work with the State of Michigan fire marshal’s office,” he said, where he is currently a fire marshal supervisor. “Both of our families saw that school was a way out.”

Oldest daughter Angelica, a senior at Lansing Catholic Central, attended a program for African-American scholars at Notre Dame this summer, and has read The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman.

“Most jobs today require a college education,” she said. “My parents have always exposed us to learning, especially in math and science because there aren’t a lot of women in those fields. It’s the only way to succeed in life because the world is changing very quickly.”

“I know I’ll need an education to achieve my goals,” said younger sister Gabriella, who is a sophomore. “My family has always stressed hard work, to learn your stuff, and school, school, school. Education is the way to go.”

***

While both of my parents always valued learning, it was a high school counselor who got me an interview for a full scholarship to LCC. Although I took a rather circuitous route, I did eventually get my bachelor’ degree at MSU. But, just as Doug Stites noted, having my bachelor’s degree is not affording me the opportunities it once did. So now I’m attending the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. You’re never too old to Keep Learning.