Over 5 years later..

        In a semi-recent statement by the current Arizona governor, Doug Ducey, the necessity of college degrees in the current job market was highly emphasized, and Ducey proposed a plan of increasing the amount of Arizonan's with a degree in order to put them in a better position to get jobs and to help employers find more candidates (Gov. Doug Ducey, The Arizona Republic). As a college student myself, I  think that higher education throughout the state is definitely beneficial, but not for the same reasons that the Governor does. 

            To elaborate, Ducey mainly focused on the economic benefit of a higher college education, but I'm more concerned about the personal benefits that people gain from going to school. All my life, I've seen movies and heard people talk about how college was an experience that pulled them out of the ordinary box shaped mold that they were forced into during the earlier years of their education. Perhaps it's the newfound freedom most students have after joining college that allows them to be more open to outside influences and more willing to try new things, but whatever it is, it's a good thing! The same way that traveling is beneficial because it allows people to broaden their perspective, college allows people to pick new experiences, such as a new sewing class or party, that will help them grow into their own person. 

            Additionally, I had a hard time putting faith into Ducey's plan to help people get into college, seeing as though his method appears to be giving for money to schools, and I can't help but wonder how the money is being distributed. This is because I remember last year my high school sent an e-mail to all student and parents explaining that they weren't sure if we could finish our senior year because the funding that they had been promised was "on hold"and waiting for approval by the state. Now, my school did get the funding in the end, and I was able to do all the senior things I wanted to; however, if Ducey wants us all to go to college so much, why are schools like mine facing so much uncertainty? Some may call me a speculator, but I think it's pretty safe to say that Ducey either doesn't truly believe in what he said or he doesn't have the determination to make it into a reality because this situation is something I had never before experienced and also goes against basically everything he's said before. 

            Higher education is definitely something that would benefit Arizonan's individually, but to expand this opportunity to everyone we need a better plan than just more funding. Also, if Ducey wants to help Arizonan's gain more opportunities to join the labor force then he needs to find a more tangible way to keep people in their classrooms. 

-Celeste

Sources:

Gov. Doug Ducey, The Arizona Republic. “Ducey: Why Arizona Needs More College Grads.” The Republic | azcentral.com, 17 Sept. 2016, eu.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2016/09/17/arizona-needs-more-college-grads-ducey/90363958.