Sierra Leonean Child self taught engeineer attracts MITs attention, how come not in DC?

[Anonymous]

How come kids in DC don't have this type of drive?

You can't blame poverty etc...

"Kelvin Doe was born in October 26, 1996 and he was raised by his mother alone… but let us go back a while. Before Kelvin was born, his mom, Ajua Daniel, traveled with her husband and four children to Liberia to work . However, the Liberian war broke out and all of them had to escape. Ajua and her children made it back to Siera Leane but her husband didn’t make it. Ajua, then met Kelvin’s dad and lived with him until she got pregnant. Kelvin’s dad asked her for abortion and once she refused, he abandoned her.

So again, Kelvin was raised by a his mom along with his 4 other siblings in one of the poorest countries in the world, Seirra Leone. I don’t know if you think your life is tough, but I think we can safely agree that Kelvin’s life as an infant and a teenager wasn’t easy at all."
http://beautifulgeniuses.com/2015/01/14/kelvin-doe-dj-focus/

[Anonymous]

I know quite a few local low-income black and brown nerds. I think you just aren't hanging out in the places where you meet these kids, OP.

[Anonymous]

Thank you OP, such a beautiful story. Huge obstacles can be overcome by almost anyone in our land of opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Um, 99.9% of Sierra Leonians have an elementary level of education and won't be contacted by MIT anytime soon. I guarantee more poor kids from DC have attended MIT than poor kids from sub-Saharan Africa.

Then again, a poor kid picking through trash plays well into your "Model Immigrant" fantasy. Meanwhile, you're happy to let DC kids and their families rot.

[Anonymous]

My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.

Only someone who has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fully met could make such a delusional statement. The only reason you're not in poverty is because your parents were not poor. That's it and explains most socioeconomic outcomes.

The vast majority of poor will live hard, grinding, scarring lives. And they will die under the same miserable conditions. Even after being "motivated" and toiling hard for the entirety of their miserable lives.

[Anonymous]

Great article in WaPo, how brilliant minority students are overlooked and instead identified as "troublemakers"

We have plenty of geniuses in the U.S. We just need to better identify them, especially when they come from poor families.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/09/22/these-kids-were-geniuses-they-were-just-too-poor-for-anyone-to-discover-them/?postshare=3111443378122885

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.

Only someone who has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fully met could make such a delusional statement. The only reason you're not in poverty is because your parents were not poor. That's it and explains most socioeconomic outcomes.

The vast majority of poor will live hard, grinding, scarring lives. And they will die under the same miserable conditions. Even after being "motivated" and toiling hard for the entirety of their miserable lives.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.

Only someone who has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fully met could make such a delusional statement. The only reason you're not in poverty is because your parents were not poor. That's it and explains most socioeconomic outcomes.

The vast majority of poor will live hard, grinding, scarring lives. And they will die under the same miserable conditions. Even after being "motivated" and toiling hard for the entirety of their miserable lives.

The question is whether there are tons of geniuses in these countries that don't have a chance to shine because they live in a hell hole

OR

The country is a hell hole because there aren't a ton of geniuses living there.

[Anonymous]

How come not in DC?

Ask this guy...
http://m.washingtoninformer.com/news/2014/apr/09/banneker-student-accepted-5-ivy-league-schools/

[Anonymous]

http://www.theglobalist.com/african-americans-african-immigrants-differ/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.

Only someone who has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fully met could make such a delusional statement. The only reason you're not in poverty is because your parents were not poor. That's it and explains most socioeconomic outcomes.

The vast majority of poor will live hard, grinding, scarring lives. And they will die under the same miserable conditions. Even after being "motivated" and toiling hard for the entirety of their miserable lives.

Yes, the vast majority will, but coming from poverty myself, and seeing many others like me, I can tell you from experience that poverty can be a great motivator to do better than your parents. Maybe it's a poor immigrant mentality more so than a strictly poverty mentality. So many of the kids that get into multiple Ivies with a ton of scholarships are immigrants from poor backgrounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.theglobalist.com/african-americans-african-immigrants-differ/

Perhaps the greatest difference I have seen between African immigrants and African-Americans is how they react to adversity.

Most African immigrants to the United States came here for economic advancement. They do not have any political agenda. They are willing to take any job and do not blame the “system” when they fail in their endeavors.

Most African immigrants to the United States often live in mixed neighborhoods instead of black neighborhoods and they easily integrate. African immigrants know who they are. They are not easily offended when someone tries to put them down. They know where they come from and why they are here.

For African-Americans, there is often a tendency to blame slavery for most of the problems they face today. For instance, when African American students fail in school, some educators blame slavery and do not look for other factors.

However, the time has come for African Americans to realize that while racism still persists, the best thing they can do for their children is to teach them to take full responsibility for their actions. Fathers need to take care of their children and young women need to stay in school instead of having children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.


Only someone who has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fully met could make such a delusional statement. The only reason you're not in poverty is because your parents were not poor. That's it and explains most socioeconomic outcomes.

The vast majority of poor will live hard, grinding, scarring lives. And they will die under the same miserable conditions. Even after being "motivated" and toiling hard for the entirety of their miserable lives.


Yes, the vast majority will, but coming from poverty myself, and seeing many others like me, I can tell you from experience that poverty can be a great motivator to do better than your parents. Maybe it's a poor immigrant mentality more so than a strictly poverty mentality. So many of the kids that get into multiple Ivies with a ton of scholarships are immigrants from poor backgrounds.

Yes, this is the difference between situational poverty and generational poverty. Immigrants are poor because of external factors and they know that they have everything they need internally to "make it" and so they get into the middle class relatively quickly. Those entrenched in generational poverty don't have the mental, emotional, spiritual, and family resources to get out of it. They also tend to live around each other and do not encourage each other in ways that will get them out of poverty. Immigrants came here with the goal of moving up and they know how to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
My theory is that most of the kids who are well off are too spoiled and unmotivated. Poverty can be a great motivator.


Only someone who has Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs fully met could make such a delusional statement. The only reason you're not in poverty is because your parents were not poor. That's it and explains most socioeconomic outcomes.

The vast majority of poor will live hard, grinding, scarring lives. And they will die under the same miserable conditions. Even after being "motivated" and toiling hard for the entirety of their miserable lives.


Yes, the vast majority will, but coming from poverty myself, and seeing many others like me, I can tell you from experience that poverty can be a great motivator to do better than your parents. Maybe it's a poor immigrant mentality more so than a strictly poverty mentality. So many of the kids that get into multiple Ivies with a ton of scholarships are immigrants from poor backgrounds.

Yes, this is the difference between situational poverty and generational poverty. Immigrants are poor because of external factors and they know that they have everything they need internally to "make it" and so they get into the middle class relatively quickly. Those entrenched in generational poverty don't have the mental, emotional, spiritual, and family resources to get out of it. They also tend to live around each other and do not encourage each other in ways that will get them out of poverty. Immigrants came here with the goal of moving up and they know how to do it.

Most of the poor immigrants also live in high poverty areas, and most don't speak the language. Many were also very poor in their home countries and have experienced generational poverty there as well. Somehow, though, they and their kids are able to pull themselves out of poverty here in the US. I agree with the other PP - they don't blame anyone for their misfortunes; they just get on with it.