I'm from Liberia, in Africa. I came to America in 1996. I never used to read or write. Today I'm able to read and recognize some letters and write.

In Africa during the 1950's the people never exposed ladies to education. They never cared to send girls to school. For me, when I went to school in those days, I would register but if you didn't have a uniform by Flag Day, you couldn't stay for the rest of the year. My father and mother never used to help me. My father sewed for different people; they paid him and he sewed uniforms. But he didn't believe that girls should go to school and do something better. If I asked him, he wouldn't sew me a uniform. Because of that I would have to drop from school.

I dropped that way for three years. I never managed to continue my education. When I was 14 years old, I moved to the capital city, Monrovia, where I used to go to night school. There I learned a little bit, to know how to write my name. But then I started having children so I couldn't continue my schooling.

Then I came to America. Now I thank God that I'm improving my reading skill. Thanks to the literacy program and to my tutor.