Michelle Tam: On the Road to Happiness

Jesse Rosenberg ― SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― As a little girl in China, Michelle Tam thought she had the world at her fingertips: a loving family and happiness. But her life took a sudden turn when financial issues began to tear her parents apart.

By the time she was 6 or 7, she said, "I would be pulling my parents apart to stop fighting, just (wishing) that they wouldn't fight."

And then, her parents made the decision to move to the U.S., thinking they could start over.

"They felt that coming to America would be a solution… so we moved and it only got worse".

In China, her father was a successful businessman. Here, he became a car driver.

The fighting grew worse. When they decided to divorce, Michelle found herself caught in a war between her mother and father.

"My dad asked me to write a letter for him to state what a good father he was, so I did. My mom saw it and told me I was a traitor."

Then, her father did the unthinkable, and abandoned Michelle.

"I would hide my sadness at school and pretended like everything was normal."

Michelle wouldn't let herself be defeated by her family's struggles. She immediately dove into school activities such as the Key Club and the California Scholarship Federation.

"Michelle came to understand life and accept life's circumstances. She wouldn't let her circumstances affect the quality of her life," said her academic advisor, Oriol Zales who sees Michelle as leader among her peers.

Living with her single mom, Michelle took it upon herself to work and pay for all her expenses. She used school as an outlet, although it was a challenge to catch up academically.

Michelle has since graduated high school and will attend University of Davis in the fall. She has also landed an internship with Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco.

"I would tell other people if you have a tough time at home, focus on school. College will get you out."



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