I am an Asian-Indian, Muslim, naturalized American citizen, who immigrated to America.  I remember as an eight-year old child, my parents dropping off my two siblings and I at my grandmother's house in our old country.  My parents said that they had to go to town.  For two years, I did not see or speak with  my parents.  My siblings and I thought that they were "in town."  We had no idea that they were in another country.  My grandmother tried to take care of us, but we were shuttled off to different family members who made us work in their homes and kept us out of school. For me it was  a godsend when I developed asthma.  Family members panicked when the doctors could not treat me.  Next thing I knew, I was on a plane at the age of  ten, traveling by myself to see my parents (each of my parents had worked two jobs in order to bring me to America). Unfortunately,  it  was not a godsend for my sister and brother though.  We would not be reunited as a family for another three years.  By the time my siblings came here, they had not seen my parents for five years, and had no clue who they were.  The hurt and sense of abandonment that my brother and sister feel toward my parents continues to this day.  My hardworking, beleaguered, and guilt-ridden parents could not understand why their children could not appreciate all they had done to make a better life for them, and my traumatized brother and sister, even though they are successful, still cry to this day. Since I was reunited with them earlier than my siblings, I was spared the turmoil that my siblings experienced. 

      From my experiences,  I realized that nurturing and caring for a child begins at an early age.  What happens to a child can affect him or her for life---at times, my 59 year old sister becomes the six-year old whose parents left her.  Thus,  I became an educator 28 years ago and have taught high school students. As my high school students revealed details of their lives, I realized that their childhood had been influenced by their caregivers and environment.  Whether positively or negatively, whatever emotional or social issues had developed in high school stemmed from their experiences in early childhood.  Influenced by my parents' love for education and a desire to help teenagers achieve success, at the age of 58, I received my M. Ed. in School Counseling. After I retired  from the school district last year, I decided to continue working with and helping teenagers by becoming a CASA.  Thus far, I hope that I am making an impact on their lives, and I will continue to advocate for them in any way possible.