Informant: My informant, G.L., is 19 and was born and raised in West Lake Village. G.L. parents both run their own company together. She has one older brother and her family is mainly Italian but is completely Americanized.

Folklore: “One day you may lose your friends, you may lose your money, you may lose your home… but the one thing no one can take away from you is your education.” G.L. was told this saying from her mom multiple times when growing up. Whenever G.L. was having trouble in school or her parents felt that she wasn’t giving it her full effort, they would tell her this to try and push her back on the right track. Her parents are firm believers in the importance of education, and have always made sure to emphasize how important this was to G.L. and her brother when they were growing up. G.L. says that at times she felt way too overwhelmed to focus on school, but she knew that her parents were right to keep pushing her.

Analysis: My parents are also strong advocates in education and my mom told me that her dad would say this phrase to her when she was growing up. Her dad was a grocery store owner in Vermont and struggled to get by, but he did everything he could to get all of his kids through college so they could go on to have a more prosperous life than he gave them. Sometimes I might take my education for granted but in the long run I do value the importance education can have on your life