Overcoming Challenges: A Look at an Immigrant Youth's Experience
by: Carina Cen
My name is Karina. A few weeks ago, I got an opportunity to interview Kevin for a project and I wanted to share his story with you. Kevin is an eighth grader who came to the U.S. one year ago.
As a young immigrant from China, Kevin faced many challenges while transitioning, the language barrier being one of the most difficult. When he shared with me about how he could not communicate fluently with his classmates nor understand his teachers in class, I really resonated with his frustration because I came as an immigrant to the U.S. myself seven years ago. Back then, even a 100-word paragraph scared me because of my limited vocabulary and poor grammar. I was like a little mouse in a house full of cats that didn’t know where to escape.
Yet Kevin never let this challenge become an insurmountable obstacle in his life. When Kevin’s mom found the Pui Tak Center Youth Program that included an enrichment program for youths learning English as a second language, he immediately understood that this was an opportunity to improve his English. This after school program provided additional English-learning resources and a strong support system that prepared ESL students for success.
By taking the step of joining this program, Kevin met many tutors who guided him on a path where he could not help but practice English. When he first came to this program in seventh grade, the tutors would explain interesting topics about the U.S. to him so he can comprehend and absorb more cultural knowledge about this country. Furthermore, the tutors would introduce multiple aspects of American high schools to Kevin to give him an idea of what it is like as he prepares to go to high school soon. These days, Kevin boldly puts himself in an Englishspeaking environment, talks to others more and strives to learn vocabularies from daily life to improve his English level.
Not only did this program allow Kevin to practice English, it also became a place for him to make new friends who faced the same challenges. ESL students from different schools came together to learn, and this allowed them to share their experiences and know that they are not alone. Same for me, in the summer ESL program three years ago, I met so many great friends that I still hang out with nowadays. They are definitely worth being friends with because they are all kind-hearted, thoughtful and generous. This program was also helpful for me because the tutors would reveal what it was like to be a high schooler, and my friends already in high school would explain how it was different from elementary school.
The support Kevin received at Pui Tak Center was remarkable, and he strongly recommended that this incredible youth program expand in America because there are so many teenagers like him who are in need of indispensable guidance in life.