Community Corner
FROM A LITTLE VILLAGE IN JAMAICA… TO ABINGTON SENIOR HIGH… TO IVY LEAGUE (BROWN UNIVERSITY)
FROM A LITTLE VILLAGE IN JAMAICA… TO ABINGTON SENIOR HIGH…
TO IVY LEAGUE (BROWN UNIVERSITY)
Find out what's happening in Abingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
We got tired of the many letters and advertisements overflowing the mailbox every day. They are from the many Universities and Colleges across the USA, for one person only, Sasha Bennett. Some got opened, others didn’t …She has to choose one before the school year ends. She graduates from High School in a few months. She picked and pondered until finally she chose Brown University.
Her story didn’t start here. It started in a little farming village called Douglas Castle, in the mountains of St. Ann, Jamaica. At the age of 3, Sasha migrated to the USA with her father, leaving her dear mother and youngest brother behind. Her mother did not yet have a visa, so she would have to wait until her husband landed in the USA, and start the filing process to get her here. It was a heart rending separation, but she had Aunts and Uncles and a Grandmother with whom she would reside in the USA.
Find out what's happening in Abingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
When Sasha started school, in Willow Grove, PA, she had difficulties with English Language, both speaking and writing, due to the predominant use of our local Jamaican language “Patios”. Teachers recommended that she do a course in English speaking and writing. She did and so started her interest in books and learning. She lived with her aunts who had children her age, so there was a rich communal environment for growth and learning.
But all was not well for Sasha. Her father, whom she came to lean heavily on for parental love and support, became ill with a “sleeping sickness” that made him unable to work; so she had to depend more on the rest of her family. Then tragedy struck at the age of 8. Her mother died suddenly, before she was able to make it to America. Her adversities grew, and the future seemed dim. Her youngest brother in Jamaica had to go and live with an uncle. Later on, her eldest brother, here in the USA went to Federal Prison. It really was a lot for one young girl to bear.
Sasha fell in love with school and books. All her pain and sorrow was spent pouring over books. She became almost an introvert (in a good way). She is always, everyday doing some form of school work. She was on the Abington High School track team and Soccer team. Last time I checked, she had a 4.5 GPA out of a possible 4.6. She got invitations from all the Ivy League schools. She overcame her adversities and the sky is her limit. I am very proud of her.