By Chen | Translated by Shang - Alumni & Volunteer
At SOAR Foundation, we believe that even a little support can change the course of a young person’s life. Chen was once a student struggling to stay in school, but with SOAR’s help, she found stability, confidence, and hope. Today, she has returned to rural China as a dedicated kindergarten teacher, fulfilling her childhood dream and bringing love and learning to children who need it most. Her journey shows how your support can create ripples of change—one student, one classroom, and one community at a time.
As our name reflects, SOAR is committed to bringing Schooling Opportunities Across the Republic. We are thrilled to see students like Chen transform their own lives and then go on to uplift others. Below is a translation of Chen’s letter for SOAR’s 30th anniversary, and we hope you will join us in empowering more girls like Chen.
---letter begins---
My name is Chen. I was born in a small rural village in Shaanxi Province. Our family of five lived a simple life—my elderly grandmother, my hardworking parents, my younger brother, and me. When I was a little girl in the village welfare kindergarten, one moment changed my life: during a role-playing game, the teacher gently touched my head and said, “Then you can be the teacher.” From that moment on, a seed was planted—I wanted to become a teacher.
As I grew older, school became harder not because of the classes, but because of poverty. After my younger brother was born, the family’s expenses increased. I wrote my homework on both sides of the paper to save money, copied classmates’ textbooks when I couldn't afford my own, and lived on 20 yuan (about $3) per week—often eating one cheap meal at noon and two steamed buns soaked in hot water for dinner.
Just when I thought I might not make it, SOAR Foundation appeared in my life like a beam of light cutting through the fences of fate. With SOAR’s support, I no longer worried about affording textbooks or going hungry. I could finally study with peace of mind.
SOAR accompanied me through my three most challenging years of high school. When it came time to choose a major for college, I followed the dream planted in my heart as a child—I chose early childhood education. During all my years of university, SOAR’s uncles and aunties continued to support me, giving me strength to pursue my dream without fear. Their love carried me all the way until my graduation. I often tell myself: perhaps this is the greatest luck of my life.
After graduation, I also wanted to pass this love forward. Instead of staying in a big city, I chose to return to the countryside, where children needed warmth and guidance the most. I taught at a township kindergarten in Pucheng County. The moment the little ones called me “teacher,” I saw my younger self in their bright eyes. Their smiles swept away all my stress and filled me with purpose.
After three beautiful years, my husband’s job took us to another remote area—Yongshou County. He told me many children there were left-behind kids living in difficult conditions. Something inside me whispered: Maybe you can do something for them.
So I crossed two rugged mountain passes and arrived at Changning Town Central Kindergarten. The school building was old, the toys broken, the wind cold and sharp—but the children’s faces were full of pure, joyful smiles. The moment they called “Teacher!” my heart melted. I knew I had to stay.
Many of these children had never received proper early education. Their world needed patience, attention, and love. I started tutoring them one-on-one, playing with them, talking with them, listening to them. Day by day, they opened up. Semester by semester, they grew. Every tiny improvement made me believe that everything I was doing was worth it.
Today, I am still teaching in this remote rural kindergarten. I often recall a line from Zhang Guimei, a devoted high-school teacher I deeply admire:
“Life climbs like a galloping horse, and the heart’s candle must never go out.”
Education is one soul awakening another soul. I hope to illuminate children’s dreams just as SOAR once illuminated my path. Thanks to your support, children in rural China can learn, grow, and dream under a brighter sky.
Thank you to every donor who makes SOAR’s work possible. Your kindness truly changes lives—mine, and the lives of the children I now teach.
—Chen
Early Childhood Teacher, Changning Town Central Kindergarten
Yongshou County, Shaanxi Province
---letter ends---
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our cause!
We wish you and your loved ones a warm and joyful holiday season ahead!
Warm Regards and Cheers,
Shang Su
Fundrasing Project Leader & Previous SOAR Awardee
SOAR Foundation
By SOAR | SOAR Foundation
By Shang Su | Alumni & Volunteer
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