A dream for Prince William

Opinion

To the Editor:

I’m voting for Jeremy McPike because I know he’s the strongest candidate, because I know he has the smartest policies, and because I know he’s the most effective leader running for State Senate. But that’s not the only reason I’m voting for Jeremy. I’m voting for Jeremy because I see in him the capability and passion necessary to protect and cultivate the community that I grew up in and the community that I love. Like Jeremy I was born and raised in Woodbridge and as a child of Ghanaian immigrants I was taught to realize how lucky I was to live in an area where I could grow and learn and dream far beyond what my parents could in their childhood.

In school I was able to comfortably explore topics at my pace and I was given a helping hand in my education by kind and well equipped teachers. The education I received fully prepared me for the challenges I now face in college and has put me on a path towards achievements and success that would have been unthinkable in my parents’ home country.  The education I got in our public schools gave me the tools I needed not only to dream of success, but to strive towards it. I stand with Jeremy because as both a former student of Prince William public schools and now as a father of three, he not only embodies the strengths of our school system, but is also focused on the most pressing issues facing a system that I believe has lost its way in recent years: reforming our broken SOL testing system and fixing a school funding formula that puts us at a disadvantage.

However it wasn’t just a strong education that this community gave me. I was born four months prematurely which even today can be life-threatening. For months I had to undergo risky procedures and was under constant surveillance in the hospital in order to keep me alive. Thanks to the hardworking efforts of my doctors and the compassionate care I received at our local hospitals I was able to not only survive, but thrive. While the doctors and hospitals saved me, it was the insurance my parents had access to that saved them. Without insurance my parents may not have been able to pay for the critical care necessary in my time of need. I know Jeremy, as a first responder and the husband of a breast cancer survivor, shares my perspective and conviction that no family should have to tackle an outrageous hospital bill when they should be focused on simply getting a good bill of health.

This community not only saved me in my time of need but aided me throughout my life. I know just how good this community can be to its people, and I want to make sure that others in my community can get the quality healthcare and education that was critical to my success. In order to make that dream a reality we need to elect leaders who have share that vision. No other candidate has more love for this area or a stronger commitment to meaningful change than Jeremy McPike. I’m voting for Jeremy because a vote for him is a vote to give every dreamer like me a fighting chance.