I am Aditi Laddha, a13 years old girl from India studying in
The Shishukunj International School (Indore ).

I am in 8 th class. I wish to be a good illustrator when I grow up.

At present I have worked for Stone Soup magazines and am a regular illustrator of   Stories for Children Magazine,a monthly Ezine for children . 

 I have won around 23 international awards in drawing contests.

I love eating spicy food and
watching good movies.

            I saw that raised eyebrow – you’re wondering how on earth I can go to a school if I’m homeschooled. Well, we have  our ways. In my case,  my local community college, Middlesex County College in Edison, N.J., has a program that allows high school students to take classes to supplement their curriculums. I've taken classes at the college ever since I was 13. At that time  I took a basic chemistry course with some other homeschooled friends (which is not an experience I’d recommend to any other 13-year-olds out there). Since then, I've taken four semesters of French, a pottery class, summer Algebra II boot camp and some amazing English courses. Tally all of those up, and I've got some elective and humanities credits to save me some money when I finally go to what I call "real college."

            This semester  I'm taking physics, pre-calculus and journalism. It's a challenge to stay on top of assignments when they come at me with the vicious speed of a semester-long college course, but somehow I am managing  all the news stories and lab reports and logarithm problem sets without developing a nervous tic - yet.

            So in one side of my life, I get to take cool classes that aren’t offered to most high school seniors.  But I also get to be part of a vibrant homeschool community. I’m in a Shakespeare class made up of 13- to 18-year-old homeschoolers from all over New Jersey. We meet once a week to do crazy improvisation and group activities, like creating giant animals with our bodies or turning sonnets into mini-plays. Over the past two years  I’ve become really close to all of the awesome kids in the class.

            Other than courses taken at home and isolated classes, there are homeschool co-ops (short for co-operatives), which are groups of families that meet, usually weekly, to take one or several classes together. There are co-ops for everything from biology lab to a homeschooler orchestra. I teach beginner’s French to 3rd- through 6th-graders at a co-op that my mother founded three years ago. I have eight amazing students  and they are all très fun. I’m also a student leader of sorts in my local Institute for Cultural Communicators speech chapter, which is part of a different co-op.

                 I help organize and edit things, and critique and train kids to be better public speakers. I have so many different vibrant social circles I get to be part of -- my church friends, my friends at my job at Chik-Fil-A, my homeschool co-op friends, and my MCC friends. When people ask if I go to school, I jokingly say that I actually go to five different schools because of all the different places I go and people I see during my week.

Lots of people think that homeschooling is all about being trapped in a house and that homeschoolers never get to see the light of day. But for me and most other homeschoolers,  homeschooling is freeing . I've been able to speed ahead with the classes I want to spend time on and slow down on grasping harder subjects. I've been able to make friends with old and young people from different countries and walks of life and I've been able to spend a lot of time with my family. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

                 Attending  Rider University was brought several changes in my life. I had mixed emotions about transferring from MCC to Rider because I still remember having difficulties my freshmen year.  During my freshmen year  most of my free time between classes was spent either in the library or cafeteria doing homework  because I realized that college was a place where everybody lived in their own world.  Sometimes it’s easy to meet and make new friends, but sometimes it takes time.  My freshmen year adapting to the college class system was not hard because my professors made me feel comfortable and they were always trying to have a very open communication with their students. I never hesitated about asking questions or letting them know if I needed help and there were always there to help me out.

                One month later the MCC library staff opened their doors to me by hiring me as a media aide and part of my job was to be in charged of the media desk in the library. Everyday I had to sit in my desk for a period of four hours, and while I was working I met the majority of my friends.  Working and studying in the same place made feel comfortable about college. I also became more involved in campus in activities such as being staff member of Quo Vadis and Hispanic American Club.

                But it was time to leave that behind and to start a new journey in Rider. I moved out of Edison to Ewing with five students from TCNJ. Moving to a house with five strangers is not an easy decision to make, but I did not have another choice. I made this decision because I wanted to be close to school. Living close to school campus would allow me to leave and

come back to school at any time, and it would also allow me to take six classes and participate in campus activities and clubs. I also realized I was not an 18 year-old freshman anymore, and it was time for me to be more independent and to start value more things that life offers.             

                Fall 2009 semester finally came and along came my first day of class, and being a transfer brought back  memories of those days as a freshman student in MCC  because I did not know where my classrooms were located and I didn’t know the building names.

I noticed that the classrooms size were the same size as MCC, and that made feel comfortable with the classes.  On my first day of class I had three classes and I had three free hours between each class, and I did not know what to do with that free time because obviously I still did not have friends to hang out, or I didn’t have any homework yet to do.

                Meanwhile back in MCC I knew a lot people, and I had to run away from people because I needed my space to study and do homework.  I must have admitted I was used to my old friends from MCC, but it was time to make new friends which is not an easy thing to do. In my case I just don’t start talking to someone and then become friends it takes time and chemistry.

The amount of school work also increased compared to my first two years of college. As journalism major in MCC, I did not have a lot of competition because there were not a lot of students majoring in journalism. Meanwhile in Rider, journalism is a popular career in their Liberal Arts School.

                I was in amazed how students were fighting to cover new stories around campus for The Rider News. It was time for me to understand that if I wanted to achieve something as journalism major in Rider I have to start work harder just like I did in MCC, but with the disadvantage that a great majority of people are trying to achieve the same goal.

 The idea of finally attending to a four year college was hard to believe over the first days of school. It’s has been more than two months since the semester started and I am still adapting to Rider.

                But I learned that in order to move on your life you have to close those great chapters from your life, which includes leaving our family and friends behind, and open a new chapter that will embrace us with experiences that we go through because of changes. As transfer students we are always going to through these changes that will bring us difficulties, but we have to overcome these difficulties in order to obtain our bachelors.

Student in Indian Attracts Hundreds to Multicultural Web site

Read about up and coming publisher - online and in print - Young Shouvik Mukherjee

CKW: You are very involved in your Ning site. How did you learn about Ning? Did you create a group on a site or did you start the main Ning site?

S.M.: (I)love designing web sites. And, while googling for web-hosting services, I came to know about Ning on Techcrunch. And, no, before creating Serampore Social Network, I hadn’t gone through any other site or group; I learned things while designing.

CKW: What inspired your group or site?

S.M.: Quotes of my favourite composer and my music-idol, Yanni, inspires me in any new thing I involve myself into—

“Creativity is the most deliberate act that one can perform.”

“Every single thing that ever happened to humanity, began with a single thought … there is a collective, there is a ‘we’… people will stop believing that the lines on the maps exist.”

CKW: What is the purpose and the mission of the site?

S.M:The motto of our site is to provide an international platform to have a healthy interaction between different cultures and spread the message of love, unity, acceptance and tolerance. We want to make people forget that the country-lines on the maps exist.

We all are special. We all have something, better than the others. It’s just we don’t focus to figure it out or don’t get the chance to let others know it. Serampore Social Network gives you all the support you need to venture your voice over the crowd.

Starting an Online Magazine with the Site

CKW: What made you decide to start a magazine?

SM: Actually, it all began when I was in a project to compose a song for IMA (Indian Medical Association) for their Anti-Female Feticide Campaign. I was searching for a suitable vocal for my song and after having a lot of hours in vain, I wished for a platform to discover the undiscovered.

When I came to know about Ning, that very thought led me make the site named, Serampore Social Network.

CKW: Are you getting a great number of responses to your magazine?

S.M.:Well being honest, not the way we wanted. We wanted more people to participate actively. But, we don’t lose hope and look forward to have more posts from the crowd.

CKW: How will you distribute the magazine? Will it only be online?

S.M.:For now, the magazine will be distributed through internet in .pdf format. But, we have plans to form an organization off the internet and involve more students and other people also who don’t have the access to internet.

CKW: What kind of content are you putting in your magazine?

S.M.:We put any kind of stuff that helps expressing one’s creativity and thoughts.

CKW: What grade are you in?

S.M.: 12th.

CKW: Do you have any of your school mates involved in the magazine?

S.M.:They would love to. But, as our board exam is around the corner, they are very much busy with their studies. But, they are well-aware of this programme and have promised to be involved soon.

CKW:What do you plan to study in school when you continue your education?

S.M.:Well actually, my school is nearly over. I’m in 12th now and after my exams I will be in college. I wish to continue my studies with English literature.

Americans around the country are digging deep into their pockets to send their children to college. Students are also having unseen obstacles to maintain their full-time status, and those going part-time are wondering how high tuition could go up in the near future. Despite all the bad news, attending a community college could help Americans to save money and take full advantage of a higher education degree. 
As one of many successful students at Middlesex County College, in Edison, New Jersey, I valued the access to a high quality education and the many doors a community college can open for my future. Contrary to many people’s opinion, two-year colleges do not offer a thirteenth grade’s education; they give people access to the first step into higher education at the lowest cost possible without sacrificing services , nor the quality of its professors. At a community college students are able to realize the dream of a free society where anyone is capable to move up the ladder no matter where he or she comes from.
 Believe it or not, two-year colleges offer small-class settings and the potential of meaningful and durable relationships with faculty members, staff and fellow students, from varied social and ethnic backgrounds, for a third of what public four-year schools charge. In addition, most community colleges participate in alliances and diverse programs with nationally rated senior colleges and universities, giving transfer and scholarship opportunities for students interested in a baccalaureate degree. 
Another reason to consider a community college for one’s education is the huge campus involvement activities available to students. This is something which is comparable and in some cases even better, than what senior institutions offer. In addition, two-year colleges will keep one’s talent within the student’s community, because most community colleges do not count with housing resources, which enriches everyone’s home town. So, mom and dad are happy to keep junior for a couple of years home, which in many cases helps the student to feel supported by the family and have enough time to reach maturity for when he is ready to  move to a fouryear institution.
Furthermore, one last reason to attend a community college is that there is less competition for the same exact opportunities that four year schools offer, such as: work study positions, local scholarships, campus activities and clubs, honor societies, equipment, etc. In other words, a two-year school might make the student’s life far simpler.
Take who is writing this column as an example. When I enrolled at Middlesex County College, speaking in English was a daily challenge. In six semesters, I managed not only to be successful in my classes, but also in my extra time, leading an honor society with more experienced students and a being the editor of a section of the school’s newspaper. 
If it had not been for the community college option, I would probably be working full-time on a dead-end position. My experience at a two-year school provided me with the most valuable resource: my first step into the higher education world. Thus, before going straight to a four year school and burying in debt, think it twice and take the right step towards the starting point of success. 
Transferring to a senior institution from a community college will put anybody, ahead of their class for a third of the price.

Biyu at home relaxing.

By Xu Li

When I was eleven years old, I faced a whole new world – my family immigrated to the United States. Everything was different from China, especially the language. No one spoke Chinese at my new school in Edison, New Jersey. Although I had a translator who was Chinese, we couldn’t understand each other because he spoke Cantonese and I spoke Mandarin, the official language of China.

I had learned many formal English phrases in China, but I quickly learned they were not useful in the United States.

When I met my classmates, none of them said, “How do you do?” so that I couldn’t say, “How do you do!” Instead, my classmates said, “Hi” “Yo” and “What’s up?”

My tongue was so tight that I couldn’t say a word, and I forgot all the sentences I had learned. I couldn’t understand a single word as my classmates welcomed me. I tried to smile and show my friendliness, but the smile froze on my face. I could hardly move my head, and my feet stuck to the floor.

What’s worse was that I couldn’t even understand a single sentence during my teacher’s lesson, even though I had listened to many ESL tapes right after I came here. Why couldn’t I understand? I felt that I was both deaf and mute. I didn’t know how I could begin to understand English. For the rest of the class, I didn’t hear anything my teacher said.

What’s worst was that I could only blindly answer “yes” or “no” to every single question from my classmates during recess.  Some of them laughed so hard at my answers that they could barely stand upright. I wished that I had a magic translator in my brain, and also I wished for a hole that I could hide in. I was saved by the bell, but when back in the classroom, I just stared at the board without seeing or hearing.

Then, I remembered what my dad told me that he used to call 1-800 to listen to the menus again and again to train his listening during his first half-year in the US. So I tried to listen to the lesson, and copied as many words on the board as possible and took the notes home to study.

I borrowed easy books and cassettes, and short biographies of American Presidents from libraries. With my mom’s help, I worked four hours a day and soon I could read a bit by myself and could understand a little of my teacher.

One day I understood a complete sentence during recess – “What’s up?” That night, I told my mom excitedly, but I was confused because nobody looked up.

Mom said, “Maybe it’s like WATCH OUT. Maybe it’s a rhetoric which implies watch out.”

The big day finally came. I suddenly understood several students during recess — “We can play pushing game again with Mr.Yes-or-No.” the pushing game was a trick they played on me – they had called it a game, but it was just an excuse to push me around. I would not play that again.

At the end of the school year, I could understand and participate in class and made some friends.      

Summer was coming fast and I made a big decision to complete summer readings. My first target was Hatchet. I flipped open the book, and I was stunned. Holding my breath, I counted fifty vocabulary words in two pages. Disappointed and frustrated, I put down the book and turned on the TV. However, I couldn’t watch the TV. I almost cried. Holding tears in my eyes, I told myself crying isn’t a boy’s behavior.

I counted one, two three, and then I wrote a daily plan: make vocabulary list, memorize 50 words, read 2 pages. I started to make the vocabulary list, and I found a big secret buried in the lines within several minutes — I found that PILOT repeated six times, HEADSET repeated four times, RADIO repeated three times, DASHBOARD repeated two times, and … more. There were only about 30 new words in the two pages! With my mom’s help, summer reading started.

I was so excited — I understood a sentence that was seven lines long on the bottom of page two! I couldn’t wait for the second day to read, so I read 4 pages on the first day. We usually worked fourteen hours a day. For every sentence we had to piece together each individual word. Sometimes the finished puzzle didn’t make sense because many words had multiple meanings, and we lacked grammar skills.

Finally, after three weeks, we finished the first book. By the end of the summer, I was so proud because I had finished four summer reading books. The school only required one, even for the regular students.

     When sixth grade started, I was still placed in ESL level 1 because I had been in the U.S only half a year. However, a week later, my schedule changed — I moved up to level 2 ESL. After two weeks, my schedule changed again — I moved up to regular science class.

By the end of my sixth grade, I successfully passed the ESL exam and skipped the three remaining ESL levels. All of my teachers congratulated me.

During that summer before we moved to another apartment. I found an old sheet hanging on the wall with many different phrases, like “Where is the restroom?” “Where is the library?” “I’d like …” “Would you please tell me …” “May I beg your pardon?” I remembered that I used to read them every morning before school. But right now, I was a regular student.

In seventh grade, I took all the regular courses. I am currently taking AP Literature, and I enjoy the study of English.

No matter how difficult the situation is, a positive attitude will always help. Along with hard work, everything is possible.