Senior year is not as easy as other years! Especially being virtual made everything harder.  Seniors face a lot of challenges and stress in a regular year but this year might be a little more challenging. We have a few English learner students who are graduating this year as well. They all worked hard and had to overcome one other challenge that other seniors did not have to worry about. While staying on track being in virtual school they also had to deal with learning English. Since their parents speak little to no English, they could not get the same support as other seniors do. They have to figure out everything on their own such as applying for scholarships or colleges. 

CHS is very diverse and many English learners don’t even know they are graduating this year. This virtual learning might be very hard for them as they have to figure out how the education system works in the US, such as applying for colleges and scholarships. Every senior had to go through this but for ESLs it was a little more challenging since they didn’t know much or could get help from their parents. 

A senior who has been an ESL student Nicka Mohammad Aman was interviewed. Nicka arrived in the USA in 2016 where she only knew very little English and barely could communicate. Nicka mentioned that her senior year’s most difficult and stressful time was to apply to many schools, sign up for SAT/ACT several times, ask teachers for recommendations, and keep up with her grades and assignments. “My advice is do not hesitate to participate in extracurricular activities. It’s never late to join a club you’re interested in, but it’s best to get started as soon as possible.” If she could go back in time, she wouldn’t stress too much and wouldn’t hate herself for not being able to control everything. “My senior year was challenging and exhausting, but I’m happy I made it through.” Nick’s goal is to go to college and keep up the good work.

Another graduating ESL student, Jalil Akbari, arrived at CHS, knowing very little English. “I think the hardest part of being a senior this year is being online. However, I overcame it with my teacher’s help.” But Jalil did not apply to any tests, colleges, or scholarships. He thought he would not qualify for any of these since he is still an English learner and was not happy with his grades. He added, ”I loved going back in person and seeing all my friends and teachers who I spent years with before I graduated. A message I would give all the ESL students is study harder and read more. If I go back to the past years to change anything, I would read and do my homework more and care more. After high school, I will join the military”.  

Sahil Abdul Rahimzai, an ESL senior, said that he did not feel that he was a senior this year. “I had many plans for my senior year but all I did was just stay home. I couldn’t even go to school once!” He also recommended to not stress over everything… “You come once to this life so just enjoy it as much as you can.” 

This year was a stressful year for all our seniors. They all did very well and made it through. There was hardness but they will have a very unique story to remember in the future.