This is Sonie interviewing Ms. Murphy about her high school experience.  Ms. Murphy is a teacher at Jefferson and has lived in Champaign for many years.  She is 1 year away from retirement and has been in Champaign since graduating for the U of I.  Christelle ran the camera.

Ms. Murphy grew up in a low-income family in Chicago. By the time she was in 8th grade, three people she knew had already been killed.  She was excited to leave her neighborhood by bus to attend the mixed race, all-girls Lucy Flowers Technical High School and get away from the low expectations of her environment and high drop-out rates of her peers who attended her neighborhood school, Crane High School.  It was at Flowers HS that she developed hope for herself and was determined to find a good paying job that would provide for her.  Her counselor enrolled her at the University of Illinois.

1. I love Ms. Murphy’s attitude of “I can do something different.”  She found hope despite living in an environment of low expectations.  Where did her strength come from?

   Kimberlie Kranich Feb 19, 2010