This was very interesting to learn the different types of Capitals that are involved in ones’ life; those being economic capital, cultural capital, & social capital. It is fascinating to find familiarity in examples shown when introducing examples about minorities, and women. It is also interesting to see how those experiences shape your life then and in the future.
If I was asked to report circumstances in regard to economic capital and my childhood home, it would read something like this:
“I have always been aware that my family was poor. Not because the people around me had more than we did, but because the people in our neighborhoods were usually even more poor. We were definitely deprived from new clothing. We all wore hand me downs except for my only and youngest brother who was lucky enough to get new clothes because there were none to hand down. We all began working by the time we were working age, in my case, that was 14 and handing over our checks to our parents to help. We luckily never went hungry, although, rice and beans were always on the menu.”
When asked to report circumstances in regard to cultural capital, (Encouragement & Expectations/ Pursuit of the American Dream), it would go something like this:
“My parents expected us to go to school. They expected us to get there early to use our ticket to get our free breakfast and free lunch. We were expected to go straight home, change and go to work. Getting the diploma was necessarily never their goal, it was to ensure that while they were at work, we were somewhere safe and sound. They encouraged us to always work hard. As a matter of fact, I got my work ethic from them. They were the epitome of hard-working people. They were the first ones there, and the last one’s out. “
“When I enrolled as a late entry Delta College Student, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea where to start. I didn’t know how to fill out the forms or find the deadlines. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I took a lot of unnecessary classes and lost out on a lot of money. This was due to the fact that I’m a first-generation college student and had nobody to ask. Getting in with a counselor is near to impossible at Delta (in a timely manner). I struggled a lot to find my rhythm, but I did it. I just got my AA-T in Psychology in December.”
Lastly, if asked to report the on behalf on social capital, it would read something very similarly to the example and would read like the following:
It is interesting to see how your culture and your socioeconomic stature shapes your life and your future. It is also thought-provoking to try validating that it doesn’t matter where you come from, some are just luckier than others to be born ahead of the game in middle-class or high-class environments. If only we could all be so lucky.
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