Post #4

College Cheating Scandal

One of the biggest college cheating scandals has just come to surface and the public cant get enough. The biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted in the US is a harsh reminder that wealthy families can cheat their way to even greater privilege and according to CNN this scandal is "just the tip of the iceberg." On Tuesday March 12th, arrest warrants for actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were delivered following their alleged involvement in a college-entrance-exam cheating scandal. According to many news outlets, the women were two of around 50 people who were involved in this investigation. Loughlin and her husband allegedly agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 to have their two daughters designated as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team. However, neither of the Loughlin's daughters ever participated in USC's crew team. Instead it was stated that the parents sent photos of each of their daughters on a rowing machine.

One of the figures that has emerged to the center of this scandal is the Loughlin's younger daughter, Olivia Jade. Jade who is now 19, has been a student at USC since fall of 2018, and has become a very well known social media influencer. She has around 1.9 million subscribers, me being one of them, on her youtube channel where she vlogs about her make up tutorials, everyday life, and shopping hauls. On instagram she posts photos of her outfits, social life, and luxurious vacations  making her life so desirable that you cant help but watch. Like many social media influencers, Jade does numerous amounts of sponsored content. But now she is facing a heavy amount of backlash such as harsh comments on her instagram page and Sephora, which used to pay her to post social media ads and collaborated with her on a makeup palette, has ended their partnership. Jade was really at her all time high and in a blink of an eye her lavish life has turned upside down.

 This idea of the wealthy "cheating" their way into success has been the cause of so many mixed emotions and tensions.  It also highlights the idea that schools have often given the children of wealthy alumni and those who can make donations to the school an easier opportunity leaving everyone else to fight over the remaining spots. This scandal has sparked an intense discussion about wealth, privilege, and access to America's most selective schools. It has puts an emphasis how even those students who come from low-income families who have worked so tirelessly to obtain the scores and grades to be accepted into these schools often struggle to access a quality education because they are competing against something that they will always fall short too, wealth.

This scandal honestly has made me so overwhelmed I am not really sure what to think. I mean do I think what has happened is wrong? Yes, of course. But in regards to Olivia Jade's backlash I do feel sympathy for her. While I don't agree with what she and her parents have done to "buy" her way into school, I think people forget that she's just a 19 year old kid trying to figure her life out.