My mom, Rachel Cockrell, was born in Singapore, Singapore, and raised there until the age of 17. She had trouble in school, as the education system was very rigorous from third grade forward. This is her story about how one American teacher was able to transform her life, by helping her transfer her education to the United States.
She met an American teacher at her school in Singapore, while he was visiting to learn more about international schooling. He realized what position my mom was in, and immediately wanted to help. She would soon be kicked out of school, and have no options for work- had he not been brought into her life. Like I said before, she was a horrible student, and had bad study habits. Singapore’s education system does not offer second chances. After years of not meeting high standards, they give up on trying to help a student through. His plan was to take my mom to the United States, so she could continue her education and succeed later on in life.
He willingly arranged for a sponsor family in California, through a …show more content…
I was just 17 years old, and was leaving my country of Singapore to further my education in the United States. After the long 18 hour flight, I was driven from SFO (San Francisco International Airport), to a small rural town two hours North called Ukiah, California. I didn’t talk at all on the drive up, as I was overwhelmed by how different everything was. One main difference that shocked me, was seeing dead grass and brown fields on either side of the road. It was so dry, that if a lit match was dropped, the whole terrain would be in flames. I had come from lush and beautifully green Singapore. I had never seen dead plants, let alone such dry barren land. Soon, when I arrived at the sponsor family’s home, and they greeted me with open arms. They were a Christian family that housed, fed, and took care of me while I finished my last two years of high