“I hate school,” “What’s the point of school?” These words probably sound oddly familiar to you, whether they have come out of your mouth or a friend’s mouth, one thing we can all agree upon is that school is not our preferred place to be. Between the kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria and recent attention drawn to Malala Yousafzai, the topic of the value of education is a heavy one. On April 15, a Muslim group called Boko Haram, a group strongly opposed to education, kidnapped schoolgirls in northern Nigeria. The girls were supposedly being auctioned off for $12 each to become “’wives’ of militants”. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government did not do much to help the situation and rescue the 276 girls still missing. Only about 50 girls escaped. Keep in mind that all of these girls risked attending school, all for an education. We cannot forget about Malala Yousafzai, the cover girl of our December 2013/January 2014 issue. Malala, the girl known for “being shot in the face by the Taliban for an education,” should be an inspiration for any girl attending school. If you have the chance read I am Malala because it depicts Malala’s story both preceding and following her shooting that will be sure to alter how you perceive school.

Michaela Del Viscovo is a sixteen year old junior from New Jersey who spends her weekends taking classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She a Her Campus high school ambassador and runs a blog (bymichaelachristine.com) where she expresses her love for fashion and writing. She cannot wait to graduate high school and go to college in Manhattan to pursue her dream career of working at a fashion magazine. She is fascinated with what the world has to offer and aspires to travel the world someday to experience different cultures, but for now I am content with discovering the world through writing, the internet, and of course, Her Culture!

The Value of Education