Sonia Sanchez advocates to a group of students at West Philly High, “I was supposed to be Norma. You were supposed to be Norma, too. I believe in the Normas of the world,” which reaffirms that one’s background does not dictate their future (Philly.com, n.d). In the article, “Five Social Disadvantages That Depress Student Performance”, the author stresses that poorer people “typically have lower test scores, are more likely to drop out of school, and have greater emotional and behavioral difficulties”, demonstrating that students with poorer backgrounds are less likely to be successful in the long run (2015). However, poet.org reveals that Sonia lived “in a poorer community” as a child and “because she lived in a crowded dwelling, she felt
