Widmiyard Marc is an 11th grader at Holyoke High School North and in her second year as a Newcomer student. She shared her perspectives about how she came to find her voice in an essay she wrote as a classroom assignment.
“Written by Widmiyard exclusively in English, this is a beautiful story that encapsulates a lot of what our Newcomer students experience when they come to HHS,” said English Language Development Teacher Saskia Fabricant. “Please take a few minutes to read her work.”
By Widmiyard Marc
When I first came to a new school I felt shy and nervous about who I was.
When I first began attending Holyoke High School I saw so many students who’s from another country. And I was happy because there were students from the same country as me.
What made me realize that there are students from my country with me is that in class the teacher would ask where we were from and what language we speak and I just watch them. I see them as racist , which is why I don't look for friends.
During group activities I would let others do most of the talking while I listened inside and wanted to participate but I was too afraid of making mistakes or being judged. I started to feel like I did not belong and that made school even harder for me.
The group I was working in was in a biology class and I didn’t like to talk in class because of my accent. And was only with students who’s speaking English. Because of that I did not speak too much in my groups. I was afraid of the students laughing at me because my English accent was not good. They didn’t talk to me either, they just looked at me.
Because of that I did not like much in class. When the teacher asked questions I usually kept my head down and hoped she would call on someone else. In my mind I kept thinking “what is my accent”. Their thoughts made me feel uncomfortable and quiet most of the time. During group activities I usually listened more than I spoke. I wanted to share my ideas but I was too nervous to say them out loud. Sometimes my heart would start beating faster when someone looked at me.
One day something happened that changed the way I felt. I was talking quietly with a classmate during group work when they suddenly said “where I am from”? I was surprised because I expected someone to make fun of me and not compliment me. I told them where I was from and they smiled and said “that’s awesome". That moment I was so content because it was the first time someone complimented me like that. That made me realize that being different was not something to be embarrassed about. I started to feel more comfortable speaking and sharing things about myself. I still felt nervous sometimes but I reminded myself that my accent was part of who I am.
Now I feel proud of my identity and where I came from and try to encourage others to embrace the differences too. I understand that everyone has something unique to offer and sharing our stories can help people connect and learn. I hope by being myself I can inspire others to feel of who they are as well as never give up in life because in life need to have failure and patience in everything you do.