Getting an education is a privilege

I have been given an opportunity that millions of girls around the world are being denied. According to UNESCO, 58 million children of primary school age and another 63 million children of lower secondary school age are out of school. More specifically, there are 31 million girls of primary school age out of school, well over half of whom are expected never to enter school. In light of these staggering statistics, I see my ability to attend school not as an obligation, but a privilege.

I am thankful to have grown up in a household that encourages learning, to have been in school since I was 4, to continue my education in college, and for all of the possibilities an education can create. I hope that my ability to be educated will not only benefit me as an individual, but ultimately allow me to effect change in the world.

Jessica Johanson

Glen Ellyn