I love this photo of Pan Young, the Bishop Maginn Student graduating from Bishop Maginn High School this year and
fighting so hard to bring people’s awareness to the tragedy taking place in Myanmar after the military coup there.
You might remember that I wrote about her a month or so ago.
Her teachers say she is one of the most remarkable students they have ever taught. Her family was devastated by the first wave of violence and the second round of bloodshed again.
She spend years in a refugee camp in Indonesia.
More than 800 civilians have been killed by the military since the violence began. Her grandfather is missing.
Pan plans to be speaking out about the slaughter there wherever she goes.
She credits Bishop Maginn with saving her life, teaching her English, and helping her to get to the first-rate college.
Pan wanted a photo of herself with the now-famous Prom Queen; there was a long line at the graduation.
She’s going to college to join a pre-med program on a full scholarship.
The school did her an extraordinary job of teaching her English and helping her feel secure enough to learn. They also helped navigate the college admission process.
There is an awful lot of violence in Albany since the pandemic began; so far, it’s not getting any better.
The school has decided to open up Sue Silverstein’s art class and the school gym for students who have no place to go to stay off the streets and paint or make art or play basketball.
As they’ve done before, they are creating a safe haven for kids who need to avoid the streets and whose parents can’t afford camp or day care.
I’m not sure how many days the class will be in session, but it will be as often as needed if I know Sue Silverstein.
I’ve volunteered to teach a blogging writing course to anyone who wants to take it; I’ll come into the school at least once a week with Zinnia if it’s not too hot. We might do some photography together as well.
I’m looking forward to it; these are kids I haven’t met yet or had much time to get to know. They are amazing students, dedicated, determined, eager to learn, and blogging is a skill that might help them.
We’ll look at other blogs, write on ours and share our stories. I hope to teach them that their stories are important and ought to be seen and heard.
What happened to the book of their stories that you were going to publish? Did that ever happen?
Nope..something called the pandemic and the closing of school..
I taught at an electronics tech school in the mid-late 80’s. I had a Vietnamese girl with a very similar past as Pan’s. She’d escaped on a raft to Thailand. Spent five years there & eventually got to California where a Catholic organization got her to Birmingham, Al. We have a small Vietnamese population.
She graduated & ended up with a great job in Huntsville.
Her stories were fascinating. She hoped to eventually earn & save enough to get her whole family to America.
Her name was Chau My Le.
Beautiful!