Image of Dr. Lisa Gennetian seated on a bench on campus.

As I reflect on my own childhood, I recall the safe housing, ample food, working-class neighborhood, and reliable public school and public services that offered my family security and opportunity. Only two generations away from orphans of the Armenian genocide, a college degree for me, the first-born in the U.S., was only a glimmer in my family’s eyes. I embraced that glimmer, going on to complete a PhD in economics and dedicating my life to providing a better understanding of the impacts of social and economic policy. There were bumps, of course, growing up, but there was never a lack of optimism. This time and place had what researchers now call an “opportunity structure,” and re-shaping a world that offers the same to every child today, starting as early as possible, is what drives me, my teaching and mentoring, and my research.