Educational awards, revelations, and commitments
After the marshmallow roasting, the plastic chairs in the courtyard were all arranged so that people could sit and see the educational awards. Nothing resonates with these kids more than seeing their peers succeed. We want them to picture themselves in the group of college kids.
First up- the reading of Barb's letter to the kids. Thao read it and the kids and adults listened attentively. At the end of the letter, Barb reminded them to brush their teeth every day. The kids laughed at this. Betsy opened the ceremony with a really good talk about the importance of education and how committed we are to helping the kids get one. Then we called the college kids up one by one- Phap and Phung, and talked about their accomplishments. We talked about the two students who were not able to make the trip. And finally- we recognized Hang for her accomplishment of graduating from college. She has passed the exams and is just waiting for her ceremony. We feel so much admiration for this young woman. She has overcome incredible obsticals and made very hard choices to be standing here in front of these kids as a college graduate. You can read all of the back stories here. They are amazing- truly.
