Be the one person who changes an immigrant's life | Seham Nuur | TEDxYouth@SanDiego
a refugee camp that's when my life started all my memories in Africa are from the refugee camp in Kenya did I live in a horrible place no did I live in a difficult place yes the camp provided food shelter and clothes but didn't offer a place of hope and dreams we wake up every day before sunrise and get a line behind a big truck to pick up food would often away four to five hours because if you weren't in front of the line you wouldn't get food that day it didn't stop there I'd get back home to do chores and cook which meant that school was not an option I didn't spend a single day in school while I lived in that camp that's why my parents wanted to leave the camp and move to a country that allowed them to build a better future a future where they could get a job a future where their children go to school they applied to immigrate to Canada but they weren't successful so they tried America and we're accepted a year later we moved to the US I was just eight years old three months later winds arrived and it began to snow my parents did not like the snow so they decided to move to San Diego for Nia we not only had found me there but they promised us there was no snow with the help of the Somali community and my family my siblings and I one rolled in a k3 school if ten charter school which is about 90 percent Somali although I had grown up refugee camp in Kenya my family's from Somalia I never fell alone because I was surrounded by my people and made friends which are still with me till today I would have to say I have one of the best memories from the school my friends and I will talk about our future when were 30 years old with kids and how nothing could separate us we did everything together we even decided to go to the same high school but that's when things started to change lost frustrated lonely empty that's what I felt although I knew I had my friends with me no matter what I felt lost because I was different instead of being in a school with people from my culture I was now in the school with people from many cultures I couldn't explain it to my friends I don't think they would understand I was often invited to birthday parties or to hang out on the weekends but I couldn't go because in my culture is wrong for a girl my age to go out a lot but this wasn't just about me this is about the other immigrants who didn't feel like they belonged we'd see people on TV who felt that we see people on TV who owned about immigration and felt was changing the country in a negative way which made us wonder if we're going to be sent back to her home country I was talking to a Latina girl and she told me that being optimistic about school was a challenge to her her mother had been the only one taking care of her and her siblings because her father had been deported this took a big toll in her life and her grades were getting worse she even used the word failure to describe herself yet no one was able to see this because she was taught to appear low she was thought to not appear low income want to immigrate and try to fit in we can see that kids are resilient and can adapt to new language and culture but they still need that support from family friends and community it was easier for this girl to tell lies about her living conditions just so she could fit in attending school is also difficult for an immigrant as experience is different depending on where the child grew up for instance a child I received a formal education and in well developed country could have a completely different outlook compared to a child I received little to no education due to fleeing war and first leave their country most children who immigrated to new country to get a better education might not have been exposed learning environment and would have a hard time adjusting to their surroundings whereas a student who did grow up in a well developed country where you started in preschool and was already exposed to form a school setting but we had counselors who'd pull the new comers I was they would call them and put them in a separate room with do two other four students this personalized teaching was a way for them to get comfortable in a small group with the same style of learning they were able to go back to their classmates after getting used to the process another issue as I went immigrants are taught English it is only spoken at school because our home their parents speak their native language my parents relied on my education to help them out with formal school papers but English be my second language it was so difficult for me but I had a friends would help me even if they didn't know they were every time I pronounced something wrong or my grandma was wrong they pointed out I took this as an advantage to practice more my English and reduce the amount of mistakes I was making being 15 was the hardest age in my life why because I needed experience I needed a job I needed something to get me outside of the house and I wanted to do something productive but everywhere I went there was one phrase that stopped me you don't have experience I'm sorry it was easy but I eventually found great opportunities when the opportunities was through CTC a career readiness program there's one by the San Diego Workforce Partnership where Lauren where I learned the process of getting a job I attended workshops to get to get exposed to the professional environment and participate in icebreakers to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to be successful before actually being interviewed I learned from I went from knowing nothing about interviews and resumes to getting hired at Banana Republic which is where I work now I had to learn how to communicate with older people and you know how hard that is to me a pair of pants is a pair of pants but the customers would ask for Slom pants and size petite or the Ryan slim straight fit who knew that pants had names this experience also allowed me to be a role model for my younger siblings I want them to know that it's possible to achieve their goals as long as they're willing to make the effort I want I also want them to know that there are people out there to help them succeed if you're an immigrant facing challenges such as adapting to a new culture learning a new language or finding a job don't let that discourage you for being who you are or fulfilling your dreams turn challenges into opportunities at the end of the day you are not judged for what's happening to you or you decide to become and remember there are lots of people out there to help you succeed FEMA teachers are with you every day to your counselors are finding new ways to overcome your problems don't limit yourself to the amount of advice and help you can receive though organizations out there to help who are looking for people like you because it's ok to shine and achieve what you want and if you're born in America I would like to offer the words of Martin Luther King you may all have come on different ships for in the same boat now we should put our differences aside and work together to help those have come here escaping poverty and violence and simply want to build a better future be that one person present was made a change in an immigrants life which has the power to change all immigrants and which will benefit society as a whole thank you [Applause] you