Imagine being told from a young age that your life is already written: the jobs you'll hold, the obstacles you'll face, the limits you'll never cross. What you're born into is what your life will be. For millions of Americans making a low wage, that's the reality.

Democracy, in theory, is supposed to offer a chance to shape your own future. That's the American dream. But for too many, it remains just a promise out of reach. When children grow up believing their circumstances are permanent, they inherit a cycle instead of a chance.

On paper, I might look like I fit the mold of opportunity: white-passing, educated, and building a career. But beneath the surface, my story goes beyond that. I grew up in a low-income mixed-race household with a Hispanic father and a white American mother. In my family, the paths laid out were often blue-collar jobs, teen pregnancy, addiction, incarceration, or worse. None of my three sisters graduated from high school, and no one in my immediate family attended college. I became the exception, because I found a way through it.

I easily could have accepted my situation, which involved living paycheck to paycheck and witnessing close family members enter the criminal justice system. But education was the key for me. I relied on school to distract from a tough home life. I'm not sure what drove me to invest so much time into........

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