Grand Island, Nebraska: Every Student, Every Day, A Success!
BY TRACY OVERSTREET
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Maria Rojas is No. 1 in Grand Island Senior High's class of 425 students.
"This is phenomenal considering she was in ESL (English as a Second
Language) classes during seventh grade," said high school counselor
Larry Uhing.
But it's not the No. 1 class ranking that Rojas has her eye on.
"I want to be the first in my family to go to college," Rojas said.
Rojas, who turned 18 on March 1, moved to the United States as a
sixth-grader. She spoke no English.
Her family had
waited more than 10 years for visas to move from Guanajuata, Mexico.
She then bounced between schools in South Sioux City, Neb., and Las
Vegas until her family settled in Grand Island at the start of her
seventh-grade year.
She had a crash course in English
that year and sailed right into regular coursework as an eighth-grader.
Now, with language skills so solid that she writes a column for the
school newspaper, she's prepping for college coursework at a University
of Nebraska campus in hopes of becoming a doctor. Full Story
It is the policy of the Grand Island Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, religion, or marital status in its educational programs, activities or employment policies as required by Title VI, Title IX, &Section 504.EOE/AA.
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