My name is LaShire Diegue. I am a 4th year psychiatry resident at UMDNJ- New Jersey Medical School in Newark. I am also a member and delegate of CIR/SEIU. I was educated from the 3rd grade in Newark Public School so I attribute much of my success to my time spent in this school system. I graduated in 2001 from University High. When I was a student we still had band, shop and home economics in my schools. 

I am unsure how much of these if any still exist. School is not just where we go to learn to read, write, add and subtract. We learn social skills and life skills and our talents are fostered so that we grow to be well rounded individuals. Cutting budgets to our education means decreasing the skills we acquire to be competitive in the national and global arena. As a resident physician it has been necessary for me to be able to hold my own against people all over the country and the world to get to the position I am in today. My foundation came from the education I received in Newark Public Schools. Saying "yes" to budget cuts means saying "no" to the dreams our students have of being the brightest and best in their desired fields of study. Saying "yes" to budget cuts means that the future of this country will rest in the incapable hands of those whom we failed to equip with the knowledge to keep our nation great. Think about where you all would be had budgets been smaller when you were educated? Would you still be able to sit here and consider cutting budgets? Maybe but it would have been less likely. We owe it to the children to get the education we all had. We owe it to ourselves to pay it forward. Say "no" to budget cuts and say "yes" to giving our future a chance.