“All I can do is be myself—because their fear is about themselves, it’s not about me.” HassyHass35
When I heard stories about America, growing up as a farmer’s kid living in Somalia, it was always nothing but good things. So when I learned our family was moving there, I thought I was moving to a paradise where no one suffers and everyone lives their best lives.
In the summer of 2000, just a few months after arriving in Minneapolis, I moved to Ontario, California, to escape the cold and live with my uncle and cousins. It was there, in my sixth-grade gym class, when my teachers realized I was good at. The students had to run a mile, and with any additional time, we could play whatever sport we wanted.
It wasn’t easy, but I knew I had time. I hit the books and got a lot of help from my younger cousin who spoke English. Monday through Thursday, I couldn’t play outside after school, and I couldn’t watch television because I was constantly studying, listening to tapes on pronunciation, and learning vocabulary. I hated it, but that discipline helped get me here.
I had two friends in middle school who helped me improve my communication skills. For example, I wouldn’t finish my sentences out loud—I remember finishing the thought in my head, but I didn’t realize I wasn’t communicating the thought verbally. They would kindly ask me to conclude the point I was trying to make. Having friends who weren’t too shy to correct me helped a lot.But there were some classmates who weren’t as supportive.
My art teacher, who also coached the cross-country team at Puyallup High School, encouraged me to tryfor the first time. Because I loved basketball so much, I focused on that and didn’t run until my junior year in high school. But I was pretty successful at running, and my coach told me that if I worked hard enough, colleges would pay for me to attend. I knew my parents couldn’t afford college, so hearing those words got me excited.
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