Gretchen Cheng had the pleasure of experiencing the Achungo School first hand in the summer of 2023 with her husband and three children. She saw the school through the eyes of the students as she sat with them in the classrooms and participated in lessons, activities, assemblies and discussions. Gretchen and her family were instantly drawn in by the children’s curiosity, huge heartwarming smiles, infectious laughter, profound sense of gratitude and deep desire to share kindness and friendship. Their dedication to their studies, the well-being of their teachers and peers, their faith, their academic work and success was paramount and evident in all that the kids set out to do. The experience forever changed Gretchen and her family and they are all honored to be members of the Achungo family.
Gretchen graduated from The Ohio State University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in Allied Medicine. After graduation she went on to become an occupational therapist serving school aged children as well as working in subacute rehabilitation hospitals in San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York City. Gretchen has taken an extensive break from professional life to raise her children, but has always been active in many service oriented roles with her children’s schools, churches and communities in San Francisco and Singapore. Currently, Gretchen is volunteering at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital as a tutor and is very active in her church as a homebound outreach visitor and middle school life group leader.