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Personal Reflective Essay: Adapting To America

520 Words3 Pages

Raised all my life in Puerto Rico and then transferring to America was a great challenge. I had to overcome various difficulties in order to adapt to new ideas, cultures, and lifestyles. One of the obstacles I encountered was adapting to school. Since I was five my parents wanted me to imbibe the English language in order to have an exceptional future filled with opportunities, but when I arrived all my hard work in learning English did not seem to matter at my middle school. I arrived in this country thinking I was going to be in the most challenging classes and be at the top but reality smacked me in the face the first day I entered eighth grade. To my disadvantage the counselors did not care about my previous grades in Puerto Rico. Seeing that my parents were only able to speak Spanish, the school deduced my English was not well-developed enough and consequently I was placed in English-language learner (ELL) classes. After testing me in reading, writing, and hearing I was …show more content…

I knew I was capable of doing it. Because of my positive response my situation improved. I gain more knowledge and insight about the IB Program. Doing the IB Personal Projects helped me view the world differently and inquire about what is around me. After IBMYP I decided to enter full IB Diploma Program. It helps me achieve academic success and is helping me become a well-rounded learner that is capable of thinking outside-the-box, analyzing, questioning, and connecting ideas. As a result, I am currently in the top five percent of my class and am ranked as the valedictorian. In my academic life there has been many “bumps in the road”, but with my determination and willpower I was able to overcome each one of those bumps. The decision I made in eight grade molded my path to success for the upcoming years. If I had the chance to go back in time I would have done the same thing without

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