Unexpected Life Lessons

As my journey through high school comes to an end and I begin to turn the page to the next chapter of my life, I cannot help but reflect on the opportunities I have been given and the communities I have been a part of, such as sports teams, student government, and school clubs. My community service through Refugee Resources also comes to mind, as it has been one of the most impactful and eye-opening experiences of my young life. As the editor of my school newspaper, I enjoy telling stories. I believe the best way to convey the impact that serving as a Refugee Resources’ mentor has had on my life is through the stories of the students I have been able to work with. 

Jacob*

Every parent who wants their child to go to a good college knows the importance of community service on a resume; that is why I assumed I was here at the beginning of my sophomore year — for community service hours. Once a week didn’t seem too bad.

Walking through the doors on Holly Hill Drive for the first time, I vividly remember spending five minutes just trying to extract a “hello” from a small nine-year old boy from Egypt. From then on, I saw Jacob every week for two and a half hours, walking him and his brother, Malik*, from their house to the learning center, filling the silence with talk about soccer and video games. 

We spent our time methodically reviewing the alphabet while also making sure to address life outside the classroom. I made sure Jacob was comfortable with questions about American culture and my life as a highschooler. During our time together, his curiosity grew and his personality blossomed. Soon, Jacob began to socialize with those in his neighborhood, even encouraging and influencing others in the community to join the Reading Circle program. And after many months of hard work in literacy, of Bible talks and flash cards sprinkled with Christmas presents and birthday cakes, Jacob, a child who struggled to spell “Jacob,” was reading at a second-grade level!

Aside from any statistics, investing in Jacob gave me a chance to look back on my own childhood and offer him lessons about growing up that extended far beyond the classroom. More importantly and most unexpectedly, it gave me a chance to learn from somebody else. I expected to be teaching Jacob the alphabet and the difference between “to” and “too,” but it was he who taught me invaluable lessons in patience, problem solving, and opened my eyes to another culture.

John*

After Jacob and his family unexpectedly moved away, I was tasked with starting over again with a new student. I was starting from the beginning and hoping to build something like the nearly two-year bond I had formed with Jacob with a new child. However, not everything in life goes your way — a lesson Refugee Resources has taught me — and my time with my new student, John, was very short. John was initially very quiet and reserved, but I could tell he had life to give as evidenced by his smile. Even though he did not speak English very well, he never ceased to laugh. John had to leave the program for a while, which deeply saddened me because of his kind nature, but thankfully he is back now, and I get to see him every Thursday. He seems to have made progress in learning, which brings a smile to my face!

Kyaw*

Following John’s departure, I was assigned to an eleven-year-old boy named Kyaw. Immediately, I bonded with him over our love for cars. Between each Bible Lesson and reading he would always ask me some question about a car, and admittedly, I’d love to sidetrack our lesson for a few minutes. One of the most important lessons I have learned from Refugee Resources is that while it is important to always do your best to educate these kids and stay on track, investing in their stories and taking a few moments to ask about school or any of their interests is always worth missing a few minutes of reading. I have learned this is how you form a bond with kids, which will in turn incentivize them to focus more.

Kyaw was a strong reader, but more importantly he was curious. Almost all of our lessons went by quickly, giving us time to talk about anything he wanted. And on top of that, Kyaw was extremely perseverant. I remember one specific Bible verse that Kyaw struggled with memorizing, failing to properly pronounce one difficult word. However, the next week he told me he had been practicing at home, which shocked me. Sure enough, he nailed it. As a kid myself, I have never felt more proud of a younger kid. 

Unfortunately, Kyaw also had to step away from the Reading Circle program for a time, but I am absolutely sure he is thriving in whichever academic environment he is currently in.

Tshiyombo*

Tshiyombo, my most recent and current student, was the first child whose name I could not immediately pronounce. This gave me a chance to ask him about the name — his Congo culture and heritage, his parents, and of course the proper way to pronounce his name. Even though I have only been with Tshiyombo for a few weeks, I can already tell he is going to succeed at anything he puts his mind to in life. He has an unquenchable desire to learn, always respectfully asking questions and doing his best to learn words. Instead of having me read them, Tshiyombo loves to recite the Bible stories himself, finding joy in sounding out and cracking difficult words.

When asked to pick one word to describe Tshiyombo, I chose “honorable.” The reason I describe Tshiyombo as “honorable” is not solely because of his focus, but because of his maturity. After one of his friends was misbehaving towards their mentor and apologizing, Tshiyombo looked at him and said, “when you say sorry, look someone straight in the eyes.” I was absolutely amazed by this display of honor and integrity, as even many kids my age fail to do this.

I cannot wait to spend my last few weeks in Texas before heading off to college with Tshiyombo, and it feels like I could not have been luckier with my last and final student.

So, I guess I was wrong sophomore year. I wasn’t there for the hours, but something much bigger. Refugee Resources opened my eyes to new ideas and ways of thinking about the world and in a way, did help me get into college, because it showed me how much impact one person who cares can have on the life of another. And that is one of the main reasons I have personally decided to attend a service academy. As I said with Jacob, I expected to be teaching these kids the ABCs because my mom said it would be good for me. And it was. But in the end, they actually ended up teaching me so much more.

*Students’ names have been changed to protect privacy.

Written by: Zack Goforth

Edited by: Emily Thompson