Leaving home alone

Four years ago, junior Madina Mahamed stepped into the U.S. for the first time, searching among swarms of unfamiliar faces in the airport for the one that would take her home. But when Mahamed heard her name called, she was greeted by a stranger, making her one of many Blair students who have left their family in their native country in search of better opportunities in the U.S.

Mahamed's journey to America from Somalia is not an uncommon one, especially at Blair, due to Silver Spring's large international population, says clinical social worker Dana Robinson. Adolescents often leave their countries in search of jobs and educational opportunities in the U.S., he says, but living away from family can be a hefty obstacle for teens to rise above.

In creating a better life for themselves, teens who leave home on their own can provide more opportunities to relatives back home, even if it means charting unfamiliar territory without them.

With a heavy heart, senior Gabriela Pires left her family in São Paulo, Brazil four years ago to attend high school in the U.S. The academic opportunities in America had strong appeal to Pires, but leaving behind an infant sister, a teenage brother, a father and a mother who Pires calls her "best friend" was a challenging decision. "I didn't know anything about anything," she says.

Mahamed first left Somalia for Pakistan, where she stayed with a friend of her mother. While in Pakistan, the United Nations selected Mahamed to be a part of an education program for the underprivileged and brought her to the U.S. for high school. Her current job at a local assisted living center allows her to send a monthly check to her parents and five siblings in Somalia—their only source of income, she says—that her family has put towards traveling to the U.S.

While these Blazers have high aspirations for making the most out of their education, the obstacles presented by independent immigration can prove very difficult to overcome. Adjusting to a new culture, language and environment becomes an even larger issue when teens are living with an entirely new family, according to ESOL counselor Fernando Moreno. Immigrating to the U.S. with family is easier in many respects, he says, because a relationship between the parent and child has already been defined.

Sophomore Vladimir Desir, who left Haiti four years ago and now lives with his sister's stepmother, says adjusting to life with an unfamiliar relative was harder than learning English. His new family knew nothing of his daily habits or emotional tendencies. "If I make a mistake, they may not understand," says Desir. "Your family can understand."

Spending four years away from her family has made Pires, who often resents the time she has spent away from her family, realize how valuable parents are in a young person's life. "Everyone says living without your parents is the best thing ever, that you can do anything you want to, but I don't agree with them. It is hard to accept someone as they are, but parents can do that because they care," she says.

Despite the hardships of living away from his family, Desir, like other independent immigrants, is thankful for his unique opportunity. "Living in Haiti, things were not easy," he says. "Some people have more problems than me. I feel lucky to have a chance to have an education."