Pearlene and her twin sister Earlene were influenced by their parents who continually took in families in times of need. The twins’ father, always striving for a better life, never gave up fighting for Indian children to have access to an education. The three-room schoolhouse on the reservation took students from first to third grade but if they wanted to continue, they had to travel to surrounding towns. Many Tribal members, however, had no way to get to these locations. Undeterred, Pearlene’s father bought a school bus of his own and began shuttling kids to and from school himself. Eventually the county routed a school bus through Poarch, but it routinely failed to stop to pick up Tribal children. Pearlene’s father began stopping the busses himself, ensuring that Indian children could get on, paving the way for a range of educational opportunities that are available today.