Mr. Siu, the CEO of Lafayette 148 New York, returned home to Shantou, China several years ago to oversee the company’s operations and manufacturing there. What he describes as a triggering event, compelled him to establish the school. One day, when speaking to one of his employees, the employee revealed that his 18 year old son could not read or write because he had never received basic schooling. After much research, Mr. Siu was disheartened to learn that there are many children who do not have the right (if you are originally from another province, your children do not have the right to a public education in Shantou) or monetary means to a basic education. Outraged, he thought to himself, “what if I started a school?”

With no background in running a school, but experienced at running a successful business, Mr. Siu’s first step was finding the perfect school with which to partner. Mr. Siu set out on his long search with one requirement: the school masters must be as committed to improving children’s education as he was. Far removed from Shantou’s affluent neighborhoods, Mr. Siu discovered a small school adjacent to a local pig farm. Established some 10 years prior, the school’s attitude about education was both humble and passionate. In the eager smiles of the students, Mr. Siu realized his calling. Soon after, in August 2007, Mr. Siu purchased the school and appropriately renamed it the School of Dreams.

Diving into the project head first, Mr. Siu immediately began revamping the school’s infrastructure as he would an underperforming business, stating “if you have quality on the inside it will reflect everywhere else.” True to his word, Mr. Siu personally ensured that every instructor at the school had the qualifications and enthusiasm to teach. The ones that did not meet his standards were replaced. With the school a quick five to ten minute drive from the Lafayette 148 factory, Mr. Siu is able to personally monitor the school and check in on the students.

The impact of Mr. Siu’s involvement can already be seen. Since he obtained the school it has experienced a tremendous surge in popularity, which caused it to quickly outgrow its original space. Mr. Siu rented a warehouse (away from the pig farms) and converted it into a school facility to accommodate the growing number of students. He incorporated aspects of the American education experience into the new schoolhouse; such as a library, music room, computer room, and a safe physical education environment. Mr. Siu even brought two American teachers from California to China to teach at the School of Dreams. Plans are already in the works to construct a new facility especially designed for the school in the next couple of years.

Currently, the school boasts 240 students ranging from preschool through the fifth grade, and hopes to add a grade a year until it can graduate students from the twelfth grade. Unlike most schools in Shantou, the School of Dreams does not discriminate based on wealth or background. All children in the community are welcome, many of them extremely poor, with less than 10% of the students’ parents working for Lafayette 148. The children’s uniforms are provided free of charge by Lafayette 148, as are free meals for preschoolers through first graders – to ensure they are properly nourished. It is Mr. Siu’s hope that in the next 2 years, enough money can be raised to move forward with his plans to construct a new, improved facility, allowing even more children to pursue their dreams.