My Why: The Stories Behind School Choice
Abbie Schofield, Operations Manager, shares why she supports school choice for all Alabama families.
I grew up in a wonderful small city with a fantastic public school system. For the most part, every teacher I had was kind and loving, with a genuine desire not only to teach students but to nurture them as well. Still, all I wanted to do was leave.
In elementary school, I came home crying, begging my parents to send me to a local Christian school that many of my friends from church attended. I was bullied consistently to the point that school felt unbearable for several years. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to go to school with my friends—though I do now. It was a sacrifice my family simply couldn’t afford, and we were stuck. Had our scholarship program existed at the time, we would have qualified.
Now, whenever I talk with a parent asking about our program, I hear the same desperation in their voice that I remember from my own mother—a longing for a happier, safer place for their child to learn. I think about one of my best friends, whose ADHD made it incredibly difficult for her to focus in a large classroom. I think of the girl I tutored in high school who dropped out as soon as she was legally able because she needed a different environment. I learned that just because a student wants—or even needs—to leave a school, it doesn’t mean the school is bad, failing, or anything short of excellent. Sometimes children simply need an environment better suited to how they learn or a place where they feel safe enough to do so. And parents deserve the ability to help their children find that, regardless of income.
Things did improve as I got older. I graduated fourth in my class as Senior Class President, Color Guard Captain, and Student of the Year. I also served as president of several other clubs, worked part-time, and took on as many activities as possible. Why? Because I wanted to afford college. I needed a scholarship.
I still remember my school counselor telling me plainly that without scholarships, my dream of attending the University of Alabama might not be possible. Hearing that from someone who knew both my academic ability and my family’s financial reality made the stakes unmistakably clear.
As options continued to fall through and it became clear that my university scholarships and Pell Grants wouldn’t be enough, I was notified that I had been selected to receive an endowed scholarship—one that truly changed my life. With that support, it became more affordable to attend UA than to stay local and live at home.
I don’t know that the local family who made this possible will ever fully understand the impact of their gift. I think about them often when I speak with our generous donors who simply want to help children learn, grow, and make educational choices that are likely to change the lives of those students as well.
