As a recent grad, I see why many of my peers are choosing to leave the state

• BY DA'SEAN SPENCER - CILI Fellow - Cohort #3
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• Jan 28, 2024

In what feels like a customary feature of growing up here, New Orleans natives realize we have to leave our hometown to find life-changing opportunities or advance our careers. For a long time, I denied this reality and held steadfast to my belief that our community has all the tools and resources we need to be successful.

I would watch in resentment as my cousins, aunts, uncles and family friends relocated from the city and state we love. What would the world offer them that we did not already have here?

With some time and maturity, I started to understand that young professionals are leaving en masse out of necessity, not by choice. This city, its charm, culture and the black-and-gold magic we have come to cherish can only do so much to protect us from the country’s rising cost of living, housing crisis and exploitative job markets.

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