LOS ANGELES — Silvia King was 15 when someone pitched her on a chance at a richer life. King's family was poor, and here was a woman telling her she could go on a trip and make enough money to take care of herself and her mother.
Amid the futility and monotony of high school in Gardena, change was an enticing proposition. She did not know where she would go, or what she would do when she got there.
"I was like, 'Cool, I have an opportunity. I'm not going to miss it. I'm going to help my family,' " King recalled. "That was the goal."
