'You are a Diamond in the Rough.'
I remember attending my elementary school classes in a classroom packed with wall to wall kids it was standing room only. Our teacher barely had a place to stand. She used an old music stand to hold her notebook and lesson plans. She had no room for a desk least of all a platform or a chair. On one side of the classroom the wall was totally covered with a blackboard. Nobody wanted to sit in the front row for fear of the chalk dust. From what we were told, public schools received no help from the government.
My teacher's favorite expression to me was, "You are a diamond in the rough." I have often wondered what she meant by that. Was it because I wore the same T-shirts to school and the same raggedy blouses and skirts? Was it because I come from a very poor family whose dwelling would not be considered a house but a shanty by the stream?
My parents worked and struggled hard on the farm. Being tenant farmers they got to keep a half of what they produced, the other half going to the landlord. It was a life of poverty. It was a scratch and peck situation. There was no money to speak of, we ate what we produced and for clothes we used old flour sacks and some relief clothing from the CARE packages sent from overseas by UNESCO.
Winning a SAS Ai scholarship was a dream come true for me. My grades were respectable and I graduated the valedictorian of my graduating class. Still, this scholarship award came as a complete surprise and it was a windfall. My parents were ecstatic and drowning in disbelief. Imagine a full 4-year scholarship award? If you were to ask me what I think of SAS Ai's program, I would say it has been a Godsend.
For that matter, my motivation for wanting to finish my high school education at SAS remains strong. It is centered on my desire to maintain my high academic standing. It is strengthened by family pride. I want my parents to see me succeed. I do not see any obstacles, I see no hindrances, and my vision of the future is very clear. I will graduate high school with honors. It is my destiny and my goal.
To me, this SAS Ai scholarship is a gift from God. I believe in the SAS Ai motto, "Education is Freedom."
My teacher's favorite expression to me was, "You are a diamond in the rough." I have often wondered what she meant by that. Was it because I wore the same T-shirts to school and the same raggedy blouses and skirts? Was it because I come from a very poor family whose dwelling would not be considered a house but a shanty by the stream?
My parents worked and struggled hard on the farm. Being tenant farmers they got to keep a half of what they produced, the other half going to the landlord. It was a life of poverty. It was a scratch and peck situation. There was no money to speak of, we ate what we produced and for clothes we used old flour sacks and some relief clothing from the CARE packages sent from overseas by UNESCO.
Winning a SAS Ai scholarship was a dream come true for me. My grades were respectable and I graduated the valedictorian of my graduating class. Still, this scholarship award came as a complete surprise and it was a windfall. My parents were ecstatic and drowning in disbelief. Imagine a full 4-year scholarship award? If you were to ask me what I think of SAS Ai's program, I would say it has been a Godsend.
For that matter, my motivation for wanting to finish my high school education at SAS remains strong. It is centered on my desire to maintain my high academic standing. It is strengthened by family pride. I want my parents to see me succeed. I do not see any obstacles, I see no hindrances, and my vision of the future is very clear. I will graduate high school with honors. It is my destiny and my goal.
To me, this SAS Ai scholarship is a gift from God. I believe in the SAS Ai motto, "Education is Freedom."
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