06-24-2010, 07:44 AM
Harriet Coker, Haley's seventh-grade teacher at the Richard Carroll Middle School in Bamberg, was one of the attendees.
She said Haley was a wonderful student and enterprising child then.
"She was always Nikki. It is part of her name at that time also. Some people made issues about her name and religion. She converted not for any political reason, it was done after the marriage," she said.
Coker agreed that if she remained in the Sikh religion it would have been tougher to get elected as the state is very conservative.
She has no doubt about her chances to win in November. "Haley will be an outstanding Governor too," she said.
The state elected Democrats as late as in 1998. But people are upset with President Obama's [ Images ] policies and they find that what is being said and what is being done are different, she said.
Prof Ajit Randhawa-- from Amritsar [ Images ] -- said he is not upset that Haley and also her elder brother, who was a major in the US Army, converted to Christianity.
She said Haley was a wonderful student and enterprising child then.
"She was always Nikki. It is part of her name at that time also. Some people made issues about her name and religion. She converted not for any political reason, it was done after the marriage," she said.
Coker agreed that if she remained in the Sikh religion it would have been tougher to get elected as the state is very conservative.
She has no doubt about her chances to win in November. "Haley will be an outstanding Governor too," she said.
The state elected Democrats as late as in 1998. But people are upset with President Obama's [ Images ] policies and they find that what is being said and what is being done are different, she said.
Prof Ajit Randhawa-- from Amritsar [ Images ] -- said he is not upset that Haley and also her elder brother, who was a major in the US Army, converted to Christianity.