Congratulations to You & the Communities That Support You!
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Nibras Khudaida “In order for me to have a brighter future I need to have education. I don’t want to be like other women in my society where house chores would be their only duty. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do something like any boy would do.” Nibras Khudaida is a 19-year-old Yazidi refugee from ISIS-occupied Iraq who was commencement speaker at North Star High School, Lincoln, Nebraska. Full article at The Lincoln Journal Star |
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Bibebibyo Seko “You work hard to make sure your kids get a better education, a better opportunity than they would have had before … So, yeah, dreams can come true.” Bibebibyo Seko is an honors grad and star athlete at Belmont High School, Dayton, Ohio. His family fled war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and ended up in a refugee camp where Bibe lived for 14 years. Full article at My Dayton Daily News. |
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Rama Youssef “With so many hopes that they’ve lost over the years because of the war and how we all got separated, that’s the best news we’ve heard since the war. My dad was crying. I’ve never heard my dad cry before.” Rama Youssef, describing her parents’ joy when she called to tell them she received an International Leaders Scholarship to Cal Lutheran University, despite her immigrant status – she’s here on a temporary permit. When the war became too horrific in their Damascus neighborhood, Youssef came to the U.S. on her own to live with her sister, while her mother sought asylum in Germany. Her father is still trapped in war-torn Syria. Full article at Moorpark Acorn. |
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Abdi Ahmed “I feel like I’m in this world for a purpose, and I’m not going to live forever, so I need to make a mark. I want to be proud that I once changed someone’s life.” Abdi Ahmed, from war-torn Somalia, lived in Ethiopia and Kenya before coming here with four siblings. Thankful for support from their host parents and a local Refugee Education Center, he volunteers helping other refugees. After graduation from Northern High School in Forest Hills, Michigan, he will attend Michigan State University and pursue an international relations career working for Save the Children, the UNHCR (United Nations refugee agency) or a similar agency. Full article at School News Network. |
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Mohamed Tasir "It truly is a blessing. I'm thankful to everybody who's got me to this point in my life. It's just amazing to be a part of a community where I could prosper." Mohamed Tasir, a Kenyan immigrant, graduated from Desert View High School in Tucson, Arizona, as class Salutatorian. He is heading to the University of Arizona on a full scholarship. Full article at News 4 Tucson - KVOA .
Ali Adekunle “You have two hands. One for yourself and one to help others. Nothing in this world will make someone happy as helping someone.” Boko Haram murdered Adekunle’s family and burned his village. Arriving in the U.S. alone, he lived with other unaccompanied minors until being taken in by a teacher in Waltham, Mass. He had never gone to school in Nigeria. At his graduation, he received his high school’s Profile in Courage award for his positive attitude and helping others, as he heads to college to become a nurse. Read about him here: http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/news/20180601/he-faced-worst-of-humanity-now-he-is-graduating-waltham-high-school
Lanah Almatroud "They just need to have high self confidence and they can do it. Even if they struggle with English now, that's how I used to be, but now I'm good at English. I just keep encouraging them that it's going to be fine." Lanah volunteers with younger students struggling to learn English in a Multicultural Academy in Ann Arbor, Mich. She didn't speak English when she began middle school. Now, she's about to graduate from Skyline High School with a 3.9 GPA. She believes she should give back because her parents gave up so much when they fled war-torn Syria. Read about her here: http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2018/06/teen_whose_family_fled_syria_h.html Ntirenganyi Karamba "I never realized that one day I would be in America. I never realized that one day I would graduate from high school. Sometimes, God has put me in certain troubles or certain situations but it's not punishing me. It's to show me how my future can look. "Karamba was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which from 1998-2003, was embroiled in a civil war. More than five million died, including Karamba's father, murdered by rebels while his mother was pregnant with him. Later, Karamba witnessed the savagery firsthand as neighbors also were killed. An outstanding athlete who graduated from East High School in Memphis, he has been honored with the Courage Award at Commercial Appeal Sports Awards ceremonies. Read more about him here:
Mulki Hagi “I chose subjects that would resonate with everyone. Students told me they really liked the dialogue discussions we had afterward without teachers. It was the first time I did anything like that. I hope to do it again.” Hagi, 18, a Somali refugee graduating from Deering High School in Portland, Me., with honors, has even more accomplishments outside the classroom, starting when she was selected to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival. She formed a team and began planning a daylong, multicultural youth summit that was held at Deering High in April. She plans to attend Bowdoin College in Me. in the fall. Read more about her here: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/06/03/mulki-hagi-deering-high-school/
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Why Are So Many Top Grads Refugees and Immigrants?
Each day brings more news stories about outstanding refugee and immigrant high school graduates who overcame heart stopping obstacles. This graduation season, more of these inspiring stories than ever are circulating because Mandy Manning, 2018 Teacher of the Year, is telling them. Full article at PCC4Refugees.
