Hazelwood West High School has been filled with immigrants throughout the years. These immigrant students play a big role at West, and West has had a positive impact by having these students at their school.

Having immigrants around different schools helps students interact with different diversities and learn about all different types of cultures. A large number of students aren’t able to be themselves at school due to looks, eyes of judgment, and sometimes the words they hear. 

According to Brenda Álvarez, “Some students stopped coming to school or moved back to their home countries because they didn’t feel particularly safe.” Safety matters for all students, mostly immigrants, since they are new to the environment and aren’t used to the different diversities surrounding them.

The International Student Association (ISA) is a club offered at West. Students from different countries get together to learn more about each other’s cultures and prepare for one of West’s most significant events, the Festival of Nations.

Hazelwood West High has different events that go on to show the culture and enrichment from a variety of perspectives. However, some Hazelwood students still don’t feel there’s enough equal exposure to all of the cultures that are housed in the school.

“In our school, we could start having an event for the Islamic culture. It would be appreciated if there were an Islamic heritage month that would depict Islam; to show what muslims believe and their impactful discovery,” Mohammed, 11, said.

Foreign students have had many new experiences coming to the States, and mostly to Hazelwood West High School. Students have been finding support and new connections within the immigrant communities. 

“There is a strong community of people who are like me that encourage me to set a higher standard for the new generation of immigrants.” Frank Mwangi, 12, said.

Immigrant students are seeing many changes in America that are different from their home countries. Shahed Motan is a junior at Hazelwood West who moved from Palestine to the States when she was 7 years old. In Palestine, schools are different. Students are separated into different schools by gender until they are seniors in high school.

“Back in my home country, there was no such thing as security checks in the morning before entering school. Students would walk into the building and go straight to their class.” Shahed, 11, said.

According to Hartford Public High School, “One of the most significant barriers immigrant students face when adjusting to life in the United States is the difficulty of mastering the English language. Many students feel the pressure of not being able to understand classes, participate in programs, or socialize because of English.”

While immigrant students are on this difficult journey of adapting to life in the United States, they are trying their best to fit in, still not feeling completely seen or wanted around certain people.