Last week, I had lunch with the Director of the Undergraduate French Program at UVA. It was great to catch up with her, and as a side note, if a professor ever offers to take you to lunch, suggest going to Feast above West Range (it’s delicious, and only accessible to faculty).

Anyways, during lunch she mentioned an article about how networking in poverty-ridden areas in the U.S. increased the mobility and success of the children who live there. 

I’d love to share a bit about the article and what you can take away from it.

THEORY

Choosing Your Environment

The article I mentioned is an opinion piece published by the New York Times titled How to Bring Back the American Dream.

It discusses intergenerational poverty and the attempts made by the U.S. government to combat it in the 1990s. A project called Hope VI, which sought to revitalize public housing. 

When analyzing the effects of the project, a Harvard economist found that while the adults did not benefit economically, their children did.

The opportunity to be exposed to others in different socioeconomic classes and backgrounds, by default, increased the network of people they knew, and in turn, their economic mobility.

“More than half of jobs in America are obtained through referrals … So if you’re connected to people whose parents have a job at a good company, you’re more likely to get an internship there, [and] get to develop a career in that kind of business.”

The study found that “those who spent an entire childhood in [the] redeveloped housing then were on track to earn far more — an extra $500,000, in present-value terms.”

Now, I don’t share this to encourage you to find a friend whose parents can get you a job, but I do think that when you’re in an environment where you’re surrounded by those who are doing the things you’d want to be doing, that’s a good thing.

Sometimes you’re placed in those environments from the get-go, sometimes by way of a government housing project, and other times by your own volition.

The first two tell us something about luck, but the third, effort. So as I usually end these, go out and find someone. Take the first step in putting yourself in an environment that will impact your upward mobility. 

Whether you're a first-year, fourth-year, grad student, alumni, or anywhere in between, it’s never too late to start. Environments change with your actions, so take one.