Siraj Abbasi
Attended Head Start from Pre-Primary to Grade 4
Joining UC Irvine, USA

I attended Head Start Montessori from preschool all the way to Fourth Grade, before having to move to California with my family and completing my mandatory education over here. Thanks to the small class sizes and friendly atmosphere, Head Start was truly just one big family in which everyone knew everyone across classes and grade-levels. Academics wise, I don't remember ever feeling stressed out due to the teachers or competition because we were encouraged to solve problems together. I think the areas in which Head Start shaped me the most were through its extra-curricular activities. I had so much fun playing football and running around with friends as well as attending the inter-school sports tournaments (I was in team Venus with our bright yellow jerseys, and my brother was captain). Head Start is also where I started learning the tabla, which is what jumped my interest in music. I now play the french horn, which has given me the opportunity to play in various different orchestras and travel the globe with my instrument. In my upcoming years, I will be joining the University of California, Irvine, to study quantitative economics. I am grateful to Head Start for giving me such pleasant memories to look back upon and I will never forget the hugs which I received from Samina Aunty every morning, which is undoubtedly my fondest memory of the school.