A deeper appreciation for education Santiago Riera

My eyes were burning from the tear gas and I was having trouble breathing under my white bandana, but I was determined to keep going; I was not going to let them stop me—stop us from peacefully marching for our freedom. I was part of what seemed like the majority, marching against the injustice in my home country of Venezuela. From a very young age all I can remember is hearing about the old Venezuela. It was one of the richest countries in the world; one where its citizens lived happily, peacefully, and prosperously. Unfortunately, I never experienced the old Venezuela. The Venezuela I grew up in is strikingly different. As soon as I was old enough, I eagerly joined my classmates and thousands of other citizens in peaceful protests, marching for a better Venezuela. The youth is the future of the country, but with government cancelling classes for weeks at a time for insignificant reasons, too many of us are deprived a proper education, rendering the future even more at risk. The constant canceling of classes is just one of the failures of the Venezuelan educational system that makes it very hard for us to gain the knowledge necessary to fight for change. This is why it is up to us—the students—to do everything in our power to...