“I was living with my grandmother in Kenya before moving here to be with my parents. I was 12 and in sixth grade. It was so difficult for me to communicate with teachers and students. I didn’t speak English very well, and nobody knew my … Continue readingKenya native appreciates education opportunities
“I’m the first one in my family to go to college. My parents are proud. They always tell me, ‘You have to get your education. You have to do something with your life.’ And I feel responsible. I feel like I owe that to them. … Continue readingHis plan: help out supportive parents one day
“I’m a native Houstonian. Raised in the Denver Harbor area. It was a lower-income neighborhood, practically a ghetto. It was pretty rough. A lot of gang members and stuff like that. I grew up with six brothers, and I was the oldest. There were so … Continue readingEducation key to realizing dream of helping others
“I volunteered to do some teaching in a juvenile detention center in Hemphill County one summer. That was a real eye-opener, going behind locked doors to work with those kids. The youngest was 11 or 12 and the oldest was 17. They were in there … Continue readingTeacher’s ‘calling’ extends to incarcerated youth
“I’m originally from Louisiana, a little town called Mamou. Everyone called it Big Mamou. As I was growing up, our family worked on the farms. We were in the fields picking sweet potatoes, cotton, soybeans, peanuts, watermelon. You name it, we did it. And everything … Continue readingFarm-worker family had their share of challenges
“I’m from West Africa. I was born in Cameroon. I’m here for my education. Back in Africa, I always strived for a higher opportunity. I always seek to acquire knowledge and learn new things. Traveling is another way of learning. It’s a kind of adventure, … Continue readingEducation is his ‘treasure’ and key to his future
“I’m 43, and right now I serve and bartend. But I don’t want to be doing that when I’m 60-65. So I’ve got to do something to educate myself. “After high school I went into the Navy for a little while. When I got out, … Continue readingAt 43, he gives college education another shot
“Neither of my parents are college educated. My father only made it to third grade. But from an early age, he made sure that my sister and I knew the importance of a good education. “My dad always had his regular job, but he also … Continue readingSisters happy they took dad’s education advice
“My husband asked me the other day, ‘At what point did you know that you wanted to be a teacher?’ I can’t remember any defining moment. It just seems like that’s all I ever wanted to be. “I was that child who at the end … Continue reading‘Becoming a teacher seemed like the natural thing’
“My grandmother only made it up to seventh grade. All the other women before her on her side didn’t get further than that, either. So she wanted something better for me. She made sure I understood the importance of a good education. “I was pregnant … Continue readingEducation proves to be ‘my ticket out’