Dear Editor,

“To go to bed with satisfaction, one must wake up with determination” — Anonymous.

I found this quote to be living true with the students of Compton High School. In light of the “Compton Cookout,” I felt it imperative to meet and understand the students who were the center of so much controversy. As a Black Student Union member at Westview High School, I knew there was more to the African-American culture than the ignorance that was being portrayed.

On March 13, I was fortunate enough to travel to Compton High. I met some of Compton High’s best, those with a very bright future. As I spoke to the students, they told me of how Compton High has been stereotyped as only having gang members and drug dealers. They did acknowledge that the influence was there; however, it was a small minority of the students. Most of them want to get a good education to further themselves and the community. One of the students said he wanted to go to UCLA to study neurology to become a brain surgeon. His counselors helped him by arranging field trips for him to see the campus and showing him what he is working toward.

These are some of the things that counselors have done at Compton High that go beyond the call of duty. They have pride and believe in their students.

All the students had big dreams, from becoming neurologists to engineers to pediatricians. The one thing that intrigued me was that all of them wanted to give back to their community in one shape or form. They felt very connected and committed to Compton. Although so many people stereotyped the Compton students and residents, these students work hard daily in the community and in school, giving back to the community by being role models for the younger generation. They are living daily to break through the labels and stereotypes while educating the real ignorance that exists.

“We must try to help people to look beyond the smoke screen of ignorance to the essence of Compton [High] and the students attending it,” said Robert, the president of the Compton High Black Student Union. This statement was the most compelling of all to me. We are not­ — nor will we ever be — the labels that we have been given. Though some of the students at UCSD, labeled a prestigious university, try to portray these students and the community in which they live as unintelligent, that could not be further from the truth. These students have a vision for a brighter tomorrow while working hard every day to better themselves and the community that has nurtured them.

— Nolan Nahar

Sophomore, Westview High School