Janey Virginia Owens

A young woman from Ghana came to board with me to attend a local pharmacy school. One evening she asked if I had seen the movie about Phiona Muteri. I had not. We watched the movie together and it was a real eye opener. When I asked my boarder if that was the conditions in her village in Ghana. She said, "yes." Fortunately for her and her siblings, her parents came to the United States. Once they made citizenship, they began to bring their children to the states. They entered as American citizens because their parents were citizens. My boarder came to NY when she was in 7th grade. When she was passed onto the 8th grade, another student challenged her being promoted to the 8th. She said, "You just got here! How did you pass to 8th grade?" My boarder replied, "Because I passed the New York Regency Exam!" So despite her poverty and lack of opportunities in Ghana, my boarder's parents had done well with their children. Now, all of that family is together except for the oldest sister who preferred to stay in Ghana. When we faced time with this oldest sister a few months ago, you could tell that she and her daughter lived in a very nice home and so they prefer to stay in Ghana.