Despite language Barrier Student Earns Diploma in Two Years

  • June 23, 2011
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  • Blog

Two years ago, Xiaowei “Gracie” Ni came to Waupun, WI with her parents knowing only one or two words of English. She entered the local high school despite the fact that learning English and graduating seemed out of her reach.

Xiaowei “Gracie” Ni shows the diploma she earned at Waupun Area High School. (Photo by Aileen Andrews)

“I wanted to prove to everyone in my family that I could be the first one to have a high school education,” said 19-year-old Gracie. “Neither of my parents went to school beyond fifth grade and they couldn’t understand why learning to speak English and graduating was so important to me.”

Gracie caught on to the English language very quickly and after her first year became fluent enough to pursue enough credits to graduate. “I told myself I had to learn English to do well in school,” she said. “If I wanted to learn, I had to learn the language no matter what.”

To read the complete article from The FDL Reporter, please click here.

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