Mom, There's Food on My Backpack. by Johan

Mom, There's Food on My Backpack. by Johan - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

I always made sure to arrive early to school. The security guard sitting at the entrance was there, waiting for me to struggle to get my school ID out of my pocket, show it to her, and hurry to go upstairs. I needed to get to my first class on time. But based on the time, there was something I was more worried about.
With both hands holding my backpack straps, I rapidly walked towards the cafeteria. Some people would stare at me as I opened the door and approached the breakfast cart. They probably asked themselves why I looked so worried every morning. Maybe he’s just trying to get to class based on that clumsy walk or the sweat drops running down his forehead. But I was worried because I needed to make sure I would not miss the time to get breakfast.
When I would get to the breakfast cart, I chose things that were packaged. The breakfast I was getting was not meant for breakfast. It stayed in my backpack with my books and pencils until it was time for lunch.

I wasn’t the only one who did these. A lot of my friends would either get early to school and get breakfast or fast the entire day. Smudged pancakes or a cumbled oatmeal cookie were the only things we ate before we would get home at 5 pm. Not because we weren't hungry during the day, but because the lunch at my school was always terrible.

The meat tasted like cardboard cutouts and the potatoes were viscous and mainly rotten. During my lunch period, trash cans were filled to the top with paper plates and people would look with disgust at those who were brave enough to eat the food.

By saving my breakfast for lunch, I was able to secure something to eat during the day. My hunger was distributed to equal parts, allowing me to get through the school day. I used to watch TV shows where students happily ate their food because it tasted good and they had a good variety. But in my school that was not a reality.

In my school, we are not given food to feed us. We get something that would dissipate our hunger. My school district does not care if the food they are serving is fresh or nutritious for their students, and I hope that changes in the future.

Students should have access to nutritious food that would allow them to perform at their best in school. In the future, I hope none of my friends or me would have to save their breakfast because they are uncertain of the food they would have access to later on in the day.