Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success

“My brother who didn’t graduate makes me feel like I’m dumb-he puts pressure on me to not do well because he didn’t. He’s like: ‘How you gonna graduate? I told you if I didn’t graduate they’re not going to graduate you either.’” Page 77

This girl was struggling to be the first child in the family to graduate and here’s her older brother telling her that she couldn’t do it, and there was no way that it was going to happen. This simply shocked me; what kind of brother would say that? I cannot imagine anyone in my community saying that to a younger sibling.

I couldn’t believe what I read, I actually had to stop and reread that passage. What an awful brother to sit there and tell his little sister that he couldn’t do it, so there was no way that she was going to graduate and go on to college. If anything, that brother should be pushing her harder to get her to graduate because he would know what a rut it would put her in if she didn’t graduate. The only reason he would say that (all I could think of) is because he was jealous of her. I have never heard someone say that to another person, I sincerely never hope I do.