Greetings, I am Heidi Sebourn, a senior at Cleveland High School, part of the graduating class of 2024. As part of my Capstone project, I’ve embarked on a collaboration with Mrs. LaFever, an experienced ESL teacher. My project’s focus is centered on in-depth interviews with selected ESL students who have arrived this year from various corners of the world. The objective of this project is to uncover and share the unique stories, values, and perspectives of these individuals by publishing their narratives within our school community.
Meet Edgar: Navigating a New Life in America
In this article, we will refer to our interviewee as ‘Edgar’ to protect their identity, as they have requested anonymity. Edgar is a 16 year old ninth grader that has been in the United States for a year now. He left Guatemala to journey to the United States, leaving some family behind to be here with his father.
Edgar reports that it was exciting and difficult at the same time leaving his family back home in Guatemala. Edgar reflects on his departure, though, looking to the good side as he states, “But the good thing is that I arrived safely with my dad.” Despite the initial challenges that people tend to face when moving to a new place, Edgar has found a liking to his new home in America. “I like it here in the US because everything is different,” he shares, “There’s more freedom and a sense of opportunity for the future.”
While Edgar enjoys his new life in America, he still has an attachment to things back home. One thing that he misses most from Guatemala is the traditional food. “Flour tortillas is what I miss the most,” he shares, “They don’t make it here like they do back home”. Additionally, Edgar cherishes memories from his childhood, his favorite being the times he spent playing soccer with neighborhood friends. Edgar aspires to be a professional soccer player and he spends a lot of his time playing it. “Soccer is my passion,” he states.
One interesting thing about Edgar is his social life here in America. He finds comfort in connecting with people who speak his language, which is Spanish. “I feel more connected to people who speak my language because we understand each other better,” he explains. Despite the majority of students from Cleveland High School being English speakers, Edgar feels overall welcomed and accepted.
He mentions that he only has a few English-speaking friends. It is tough to develop those friendships as he says, “I understand what they are talking about, the bad thing is that I don't know how to respond to them. English is a hard language,” he admits. He shares that the hardest part is putting in the dedication into learning it. He shares that his lack of understanding in English does hold him back academically. He hopes as his language improves, so will his knowledge.