I joined Morning Star when I was in Primary 1. I was one of the first students who were enrolled in the student care. I found the place weird. I was not prepared to be enrolled and did not understand why my mother wanted to put me in student care. I refused to go into the centre. It was hard for me to get adjusted and I cried a lot. Aunty Juliana Tay explained why my mother had to put me here and encouraged me to make friends and enjoy the activities. My first impression of Aunty Juliana was that she is very caring and cheerful person and she never gave up on me. One of my fondest memories was of Aunty Juliana Ng playing the guitar and helping us to sing and relax. Through the years, the teachers counselled me when I faced challenges in school and at Morning Star. I had anger outbursts when the children teased me and made fun of me. The teachers and counsellors taught me how to cool down and not to take things so hard. I learned how to voice out my feelings and how I wanted my friends to treat me well. I also learned how to get along with the other children through playing games Alicia “che che” and Kheng Siang “kor kor” were two NUS Social Work students who came to do a self-esteem groupwork with us. I still have the file containing all the material from the sessions. I learned that there are good and bad days like a see-saw. They helped us identify activities we could do to manage stress. Because I was not doing well in school, I really felt down. I was really sad about why I could not do as well as others and believed I was a failure. The teachers were willing to take the initiative to teach me how to tackle my homework. In Primary Three, I joined the learning support programme. Aunty Vivian and Uncle Joseph helped make it the most wonderful time in Morning Star for me. I remember doing learning stations and playing with the sand tray. I learned not to give up and persevered to keep on trying to improve my English and Maths. I graduated from the student care when I went to Sec 1 in 2004. Through my years at Morning Star, I changed my character. I grew to be more independent. Whatever I learned from Morning Star, I now use to counsel my friends when they are troubled. I am now in ITE studying Higher NITEC in mobile unified communications. I have been back to Morning Star to volunteer in the Family Nights and encourage the children currently undergoing learning support. I will always never forget how my life was changed.
