Not only kids of Tiger Moms go to Harvard.

Dawn Loggins of Lawndale, N. C., is on her way to Harvard, one of the eight world famous universities in the eastern US. Nobody encouraged her to study or pay for her special classes. This girl created her own future.

The teen was abandoned by her family last summer, when her parents and two sisters moved to Tennessee. She found herself homeless and had to spend the night on friends’ sofas.

The school bus driver learned about Dawn’s situation and invited Dawn to move in with her family. Soon, Dawn had a job at Bums High School. She worked from 6:00 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. before the first school bell rang. She swept floors and picked up trash（废料；垃圾）again in the afternoons, before diving into her studies in the evenings.

Dawn’s hard work paid off. She finished school with a 3.9 GPA and scored 2110 on the SAT. “There were times when I felt like it would be easy if I gave up,” the 18-year-old girl said. “But I never gave up, because I realized that I was never going to be successful unless I got an education.”

Even before Dawn’s family left her, she led a difficult life. Her family was poor and cups of noodles were often the only food. Dawn “studied by candlelight” because her parents couldn’t afford to pay the electricity bill（电费）.

Dawn has now reconnected with her family. They’re proud of her accomplishments（成就）and are attending her high school graduation.

How’s your summer vacation going？Are you studying hard, or are you having fun？I’m having a great time in Europe! My family and I are on a vacation in the mountains. I want to call you but my phone isn’t working, so I’m writing to you. It’s hot in your country now, isn’t it？The weather here is cool and cloudy, just right for walking.

See you next month.

Dave

Today is Monday. Paul goes to a new school—No. 22 Middle School. He gets up at six o’clock in the morning. He exercises for half an hour. Then he takes a shower and has some bread for breakfast. His father goes to work at six thirty, so his mother takes him to school. Paul feels nervous（紧张的）because he doesn’t know what his teachers and classmates are like. His mother tells him they’re very nice and don’t worry.

Paul gets to the classroom at seven forty. He finds his classmates are having a “First Day of School”party. They talk about their family, favorite sports and favorite food. He also sees two teachers in the classroom. They’re Mrs. Smith and Miss Brown. Mrs. Smith teaches math and Miss Brown teaches English. They smile at Paul and welcome him to this school. Paul doesn’t feel nervous now. He joins the students and makes friends with them.