Obama visits wealthy high school
Marissa Villarreal
Earlier in the month of August, President Obama made a trip to one of Ahwatukee’s well-known schools, Desert Vista High School.
President Obama went to address issues such as the housing crisis and unemployment.
As a “tukee” resident and native, I personally found his visit to be an interesting one, since the area surrounding the high school is made up of the upper class; with students who are often found driving their own Mercedes and BMWs.
“We’ve been fighting our way back from a devastating recession that cost millions of Americans their jobs, their homes, and their savings.” Obama said.
“We were living through a decade where a few at the top were doing better and better while most families were working harder and harder just to get by.”
This might be a very true statement, but for the majority of students and the Ahwatukee community, this is an issue they might not have been faced with. According to Zillow, home values in the school’s area code have risen 32 percent in the last two years.
The median home value across the street from the school is $316,284, which is 190%percentthe average home price in the state.
So it would appear that his speech might not have any worth to those he spoke to.
Although that may be the case for some of these wealthy citizens, I find the importance of his visit, wasperhaps to show the upper class what a struggle it has been for those less fortunate, especially with regards tothe home sector in particular.
Maybe his speech was to inform, and help educate those who sit comfortablycomfortableon top. Maybe his speech willhelp them understand how the system works for all classes instead of the only one they know.
Growing up in Ahwatukee, a suburb with the reputation of being a boring cookie cutter community, I have seen my fair share of “rich kids” and “spoiled brats” who could use a good wake up call.
Obama spoke of people who have lost their jobs and their homes; this is a loss many families have had to experience while some people in “all-white-tukee” neighborhoods are only worried about where their next vacation will be.
I believe people of all classes could have taken something from his speech and whether you are a fan of Obama or not, I advise those with a roof over their head and money in their pocket to appreciate what they have because there are many others working hard to have just that.
