As the daughter of immigrants, I find that my parents’ hardship in coming to this country has helped me be a more motivated student because I know that they endured it all to ensure that their daughters would have a better life in a prosperous country.

Refugee students residing in Utica share this mindset, as shown from a recently published feature by the Utica OD on how Vietnamese and Burmese student refugees and their siblings have found their transition from third world countries to the U.S. to increase their motivation to succeed in school.

Many of the students in the Top 10 of their high school graduating class in Utica are refugees.

Some of the difficulties these students have faced include religious persecution and poverty. One of the interviewed students, Burmese refugee Honey Moon, recalls that she and her family were “so illiterate [they] believed anything [… her] parents were literally People of the Hills.”

Some of the reasons refugee students feel a strong sense of academic motivation is because of the relatively easier access to schools in the U.S. and because they wish to emulate their parents resilience in thriving after leaving their native country.

A lot of Wakefield students can identify with these refugees’ stories. Want to share your story? Email [email protected]!