President Barack Obama, 2/24/09

“In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a prerequisite. It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. So tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. . . . And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American. These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a parent – a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home.” -President Barack Obama, 2/24/09

This quote is an inspiration to high school students like me and most of my peers. It encourages us to stop wasting both our time and life and to start focusing on long term goals of higher education and descent careers. As foster children we most often have a harder time succeeding in life but we have no excuses to give up or just not try at all .as students with a difficult past I have an obligation to my self not to let my make the rest of my life af bad as the first half was or not to cause another child to suffer like me.