Teen Will Be Pride Of Two Families On Graduation Day
McKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - Thousands of North Texas high school seniors are preparing to graduate this month, and many of them overcame hardships to do so. But none compare with a McKinney North High School student whose courage after losing her family has inspired everyone around her.
Family photos captured the normal, happy life of Angie Ng. "My family loved each other so much."
The 18-year-old McKinney North High School student has an acceptance letter to Baylor and a prestigious Bill Gates scholarship waiting for her after graduation.
But her journey has been anything but easy.
"I definitely had a lot of moments of being down by it... I have nights where I just grieve about them."
When she was 15, Angie lost her mother in a car wreck, weeks later she lost her father to cancer.
"I just remember being completely numb by it," she told CBS 11. "It's something that I'm getting through, and I think it times it can be a little tough."
Angie was left without a legal guardian. Even though she had relatives elsewhere, she wanted to finish school in McKinney. That's where a classmate's family entered the picture.
"We've been best friends since 7th grade," said Mackenzie Schulien, who went from sharing school supplies with Angie to sharing parents.
"She proposed the idea of staying in McKinney by living together and having her parents as my legal guardians," said Angie.
"It was kind of a no brainer that we were going to offer," said Mackenzie. "We love her too much no to."
That love gave Angie the stability to stay in school and not only earn a diploma but do so with honors.
"None of this was handed to her, she worked hard for it," said Tammi Saffell, Angie's advisor at McKinney North. "Anybody would understand for her to go off the deep end or to go the wrong direction with what she's been through."
"I actually ended up getting through a lot of the grieving by focusing on other things like school," said Angie.
With her senior year winding down, Angie Ng has a smile as bright as her future, and will be the pride of two families on graduation day.
