Learning to walk in the land of dreams

Naci en los Estados Unidos pero mis padres me llevaron a Mexico desde que erá muy pequeña.

The words, written in bubbly teenage script on notebook paper, are a beginning of sorts for Johanna Sanchez. They were originally penned in Spanish, her native language, but later were translated to English.

I was born in the United States of America but was taken to Mexico by my parents when I was very little.

Johanna sat down to write her story three weeks ago, thinking about the journey that brought her to Cape Girardeau.

I returned to America two years ago. My problems began on my first day of school because of my education while in Mexico and how old I was when I was put in American high school. ... I entered a new culture and new language. I found myself lost.

Armando and Monica Sanchez spoke to Johanna and her two brothers about the importance of education even when they were very young. Neither of her parents graduated from high school, but the Sanchez family had a better life in mind for their children.

... In Mexico, life is totally different. People have no money and no way to advance themselves.

In 2003, the family of five left their home and extended family in Michoacan, Mexico.

Johanna was 15 at the time. She walked through the doors of Central High School not knowing how to ask where the restroom was or communicate any other essential information in English.

When assigned homework, I felt desperate because I could not understand the language. When my family and I went to the store, we didn't even know how to ask for the price so it was really hard for us to get groceries ... there was what seemed like an insurmountable amount of work to be done in order to become successful in this land of dreams.

That's how Johanna's family and many other Hispanic families regard the United States -- as the land of dreams. The Sanchezes are one of 61 or so limited-English-speaking families to migrate to Cape Girardeau in recent years.

Most of them find work, some at an early age and consequently drop out of school. That's what happened to one of Johanna's younger brothers.

But Johanna's dream was to graduate from high school. The goal had been instilled in her at a very young age, but the actual attainment seemed even further away at times after coming to the U.S.

... I ran across people who acted in a very closed-minded manner towards people of other countries and cultures. During those times, I felt that I would never learn English and I would never be able to express my ideas.

One of the first people Johanna met at Central High School was Lana Andrews, an English-as-second-language teacher for the Cape Girardeau School District. Andrews does not speak Spanish, but the two used Spanish-English dictionaries to communicate.

The two worked together regularly, and through those lessons and immersion in the English-speaking school environment Johanna began picking up the language.

Two years later, in April of this year, she began writing a speech for Central's graduation ceremony. The 17-year-old wrote about her father, who originally came to America as an illegal immigrant but later obtained citizenship.

She wrote about her experiences in Cape Girardeau and her plans to attend college at Southeast Missouri State University.

I feel satisfied today because I'm the first in our family to graduate from high school. I feel more confident than when I arrived here ... from here, I start the third step in my life, to enter college and prepare myself to work with the immigration services. I believe this is one of the best ways to help my people.

Johanna wrote her story in hopes of telling it at the graduation ceremony but was not selected for the honor. That doesn't diminish her pride in graduating though. She's not sure how she'll pay for college, but she knows she's going and that's enough for now.

I have claimed one more step in my life. I am still learning English and probably always will be ... I can say what I think and am able to help people who are where I was not long ago.

cmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128