Shukriya Abdulahi

Hi, MACCESS staff. My name is Shukriya Abdulahi. I was born in October 05 1986. I am from Oromia also knowing as Ethiopia. I came to the United States of America in1997. I came to America to get an education with my second oldest brother. Most of my families are not here. That's one of the disadvantages of being here because I miss them so much, the last time I saw them was six years ago when I said good-bye to them at the airport with tears in my eyes.

I have very much devoted my life to getting an incredible education while I have the chance. I came to America not knowing how to count from one to ten and having the inability to write in my native language, as well as English. Back at home people were closed minded, not because of the stupidity but because of the limited resources available, and they didn't know there is a great life you can have without having to farm from noon to late evenings. I lived in a small village, so there was only one school and many people did not consider the learning. Therefore, knowing my background has made learning an important value from both perspectives. I learned to enhance a value lesson from it; to make the best of the chances I have today being in America and given the choice to go to school. Especially knowing that I am the first in my family to go to college and receive an Associate and Bachelors degree motives me to go to school no matter what the obstacles might be.

Today, after six years of being in school continuously, I have improved my writing and communications skills. I have made so many friends in the process at Arlington Senior High since my Freshmen year, and where I will attend as a senior this fall. I am very much involved in my school. I am in the Multicultural Encouragement Program for Minorities and National Honor Society, which has connected me to the community in terms of allowing me to volunteer for the community.

When I am not at school I stay home and help my family take care of the children. I sometimes hang out with my friend but not as often, just because they seem to be busy and everyone try to find their process in life when they are not cramming for a test they need to take today for Biology for example( just a little side joke). I love to read books they help me think more. Lucky for me I am working this summer and after MACCESS I will be volunteering at Dorothy Day Center for the homeless.
In MACCESS, I have had a wonderful experience. The program have allowed me to enhance knowledge more in different levels of seeing things in such Oral Communication, have allow me to express my voice that I try to hide. The class has taught me a lesson that I would take beyond the school experience but also to college and life in whole. I learned how to connect with my audience even though I might have performed not as expected in MACCESS I will defineately carry the experience with me. In Written Cmmunication I enjoyed reading the Transition to College Writing. I learned to narrow my subjects or research paper, how to organize and so on. Techology class was great to be in, the first two days I though this is going to be boring because I understood what Dave s was lecturing about but then I found out that there were a lot that I didn't know about for example how to sent an attached research paper to a friend or teacher to make correction. Criticial Thinking for the most was challeneging class of all classes because things we had to learn were something I never seen before. However, for most of all the challenges had enforced me to try harder to understand the material.

Best of all the Professors were very helpful they gave us college tips.