From our series, “Conversations with Experts”

Today we are featuring a different kind of “expert.” This interview tells the story of a young man named Walter Blanks Jr. who had firsthand experience with the opportunity to choose where he attended school. Now he works in Washington D.C., trying to give that opportunity to more students across the US.

Briefly tell me a little bit about yourself.

I am from Columbus, OH. I come from a big family (5 siblings) and each and every one of us brings a unique flavor to the family. Shortly after graduating college, I moved to Washington, DC where I now have the amazing job of fighting for kids who were just like me: Looking for a way out of their current schooling situation with hopes of achieving something better.

What makes you interested in or passionate about students having more school options than just their assigned school? How has this opportunity personally affected you?

I am so passionate about students having more options because I have lived it firsthand. There is no telling where I would be without my parents sending me to a different school. In every other market, we all love competition and see the benefits from it but when it comes to school, students are stuck with no way out. 

The opportunity to choose a school has opened up so many wonderful doors for me. I’ve had the chance to meet the President and discuss why school choice is important. I was able to share the positive effects it can have, not only on the child but the entire family. President Trump asked me what I had planned for my career and I responded with “I’m coming for the White House.” My education not only gave me the boldness to say that but will also equip me to actually make that happen.

Why does school choice feel like an answer to the problems you experienced?

School choice was a chance for me to get out of my community and pursue the impossible. I was severely bullied in school and that impacted my view of what school really could be. I would often go home in tears with ripped clothing. In a school where more than half the students (including myself) were reading below grade level, there didn’t seem to be a way out. I remember looking at my math test and not understanding how to do any of it. School choice was a lifeline for me; a lifeline that most people didn’t get in my community. 

What are your initial reactions to the idea of giving scholarships to families living in low-income communities in order to change student outcomes AND changing the economic landscape of that neighborhood/community?

Every child has the right to quality education; to be put in an environment where they can truly thrive. No child should have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from or if they are going to go home with a black eye. One system does not work for every child; that is evident now more than ever. The only way to change and improve the economic landscape of the low-income communities is to PROPERLY educate the young minds that live in said community. I firmly believe education has the ability to break the cycle of poverty within a family in one generation. Education is also the great equalizer and sometimes the only thing that keeps a child from making very bad mistakes that lead to only two things: prison or the grave.

What else do you want to share with us that we haven’t mentioned or have you yourself learned something you’d like to talk about in this unique moment?

Now more than ever parents are seeing the importance of taking control of their child’s education. We all must continue to fight for that choice for all families! Having the opportunity to choose where I went to school put me on a path I never saw for myself because I couldn’t see past the dangers in my community. I am so blessed to be where I am today and believe every young scholar should have the same opportunity. 

Thank you, Walter, for sharing your story and for helping others receive a similar opportunity.