Alabama is ranked at 50 for education! I am proud of being a student at Jacksonville State University in Alabama! However, I can not ignore the fact that we could use some improvement! I am a firm believer that education is one of the most important things in life. Education has the power to change lives and the world. This is why I believe Alabama needs to make some changes!

Right now, Alabama does not have a lottery! I believe that if Alabama started the lottery, the state's education system would benefit greatly. The neighboring state, Georgia, is ranked at 30. That is certainly not the highest ranking, but it is higher than Alabama's rank.

One of the biggest differences between these two states is the lottery! Georgia uses around 25 percent of the money made from the lottery goes toward education! This may not seem like a lot, however, it makes a significant impact. The Georgia Lottery funds pre-K programs and provides the HOPE and Zell Miller grants and scholarships!

These programs are so important for children and young adults! Lottery-funded pre-ks are so helpful for low-income families! Lottery-funded preschools are amazing because they are free. Other preschools would have to charge money! These lottery-funded preschools allow children from low-income families to get an education that would not have been possible otherwise.

There are tons of high school seniors out there wondering how the heck they will be able to afford college. The HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships and Grant's help these students from Georgia! If Alabama were to get the lottery, it could ease a lot of high school seniors' minds!

I hope that Alabama will see the benefits the lottery could bring to their state! A state with great minds can do great things!