Imagine yourself packing your bags and leaving home to go to a foreign country in which you speak none of the native language, know none of their culture, and leave all your friends behind in the process. That is what it was like for Sali Matouk, and many others, now students right here at Wayne Hills.

In today’s society, it’s not easy to be an immigrant. Albeit better than a long time ago, prejudice, discrimination, and nativism are still very much alive in America.

The mere size of the United States is something that takes getting used to,  as well as the school, the cities, the people, and much more. But, the changes that these students went through were much deeper than that. The words these students used to describe the beginning of the American journey were as follows: scared, overwhelmed, and endangered.

“ I feel like we’re endangered…. people should like or hate us for who we are,” explained Matouk,  “I’d like to change people’s minds, but, for me, all I can do is become friends with people, than they tell people.”

Recently, presidential candidate Donald Trump made comments that said no muslims should be allowed in the United States. The possibility of this happening would be the largest racial exclusion since the Japanese internment camps during World War II. One can only imagine what it feels like to be a muslim immigrant in the states when a possible future president says that. But despite this, the kids admirably have chosen not to hold resentment. All of this turmoil has been heightened by the November 2015 Paris attacks and the December 2015 San Bernardino shooting.

“ I don’t want to act angry,” said another student. “Not everyone is good, but not everyone is bad. If we respond, he[Trump] is right.”

For these students and their families to pack up and move to the other side of the world, it’s clear that there was likely a reason. “A better life” was the most common sentiment; Their families feel that the opportunities here far outnumber those in their native countries.

While moving to a far away country can be quite scary, it seems like many of the students have become more acclimated to life in America. They all take “English Second Language” (ESL) classes that are similar to regular classes in base material, but take special consideration of the language barrier that may arise. Overall, the experience of moving to a far away country has been far from easy or stress-free, but many of the students share a common belief: that their future will be better than their past.