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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/01/MN0O1OQ8H1.DTL
Bay Area high school graduates conquer challenges
Jill Tucker
San Francisco Chronicle June 2, 2012 04:00 AM
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Thousands of Bay Area teenagers will collect their high school diplomas this spring, a rite of passage that will mark them forever as members of the Class of 2012.
Yet each followed their own path to graduation day.
Some found their way through sports. Others dedicated themselves to pursuing academic perfection. Some, new to the
country, faced an uphill battle to learn English and high school academics at the same time. Still others were detoured by poverty or personal setbacks.
They all made it. Four shared their stories with us. ........................
Makda Beyene: Eritrean, an avid reader, thrives in S.F. Mission High's mainstream courses
When Makda Beyene arrived in the United States less than four years ago from Eritrea, the only English she knew she picked up from television shows.
That was more than her mother and three siblings, which meant she was the family translator, filling out her mother's job applications and calling homeless shelters looking for somewhere to sleep.
When she enrolled at Mission High School in San Francisco, she refused to take classes for English learners, choosing instead to take her courses in mainstream classes.
At first, she struggled.
Concerned teachers asked about her fatigue and inability to focus and then pointed her in the direction of services to help her family find stable housing and financial support.
Then, she thrived. She read voraciously to learn English and posted perfect grades.
Counselors encouraged her to think about college. Take the SAT, they told her.
She didn't know what that was. But she knew she wanted a college education, even if it seemed financially out of reach.
Apply for scholarships, teachers told her.
When Beyene graduated from Mission High on May 23, she had eight college acceptance letters and one of 1,000 prestigious Gates Millennium scholarships, to pay all her university costs and provide academic support and guidance.
She had another $40,000 in college awards, some of which she is giving back because she won't need the money.
And her English is flawless, including typical teenage intonations.
She credits her teachers, counselors and mentors for her success.
"Mission (High) has played an instrumental part in making my family's dreams come true," Beyene said.
This fall, she will attend Pitzer College, a private liberal arts university in Claremont (Los Angeles County). She plans to double major in molecular biology and writing, and dreams of becoming a doctor.
Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker_at_sfchronicle.com
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/01/MN0O1OQ8H1.DTL#ixzz1wjwsfqhO
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