When I think about New York City, my mind right off the bat thinks of Times Square, tourism, and diversity. The New York that I know is not the New York that my parents knew. This discrepancy is not only due to technological advancements or economical growth but the way in which society has evolved. Many people who have migrated to the United States often do so with a reason in mind similar to that of Cobb’s parents, “Education was central to the gamble at the heart of my parents’ migration north”. Lack of opportunities or the safety back home push people to search for a better life. Reading Cobb’s piece, I was able to learn more about how circumstances have influenced the quality and effectiveness of education.

Segregation has ended however, society tends to segregate themselves without realizing the consequences that this may have in both a long term and short term scale. From a first hand account, my neighborhood is filled with people of the same culture and background; people feel a sense of comfort knowing that they are with others who are “like them”. It is clear that the average person in society does not realize the impact of their decision to settle in an area but I do think that the local and state governments can promote some sort of awareness to how our actions can have potential negative impacts and ways in which the people themselves can create change.

Cobb’s makes reference to Townsend Harris High School in regards to its high graduation rate and notes that this is in part due to the access to the Queens College facilities and campus. I am an alumni of Townsend Harris High School and I completely agree that the campus is an advantage from an academic standpoint. All of these changes are because of immigrant families and lower income families not having such an easy opportunity to being able to getting their children an amazing education. Officials and residents need to collaborate so that needs are communicated and solutions could potentially be implemented so that situations such as the closing of a long lived high school does not occur.