<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah Alaffin, from Amman, Jordan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am studying so I can save lives. My dream is to be a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEid Al Fitr. Because its after Ramadan so it comes at the end of the month of fasting. We gather, clean the house, prepare gifts, and make lunch for the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo finish my studies, gain experience, and become a good doctor like my father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anne Marie Bigirinka, from South Kivu, DRC<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d like to pursue a degree in Computer Science it because I enjoy it and studied it back home in Africa.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love weddings in my culture. We all meet up, family and friends. For a whole week we gather together and eat traditional food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d like to have my own company. Maybe one in design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yuliia Chernysheva, Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “In my country I worked in computer science, so in the future I\u2019d like to continue to do so.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n “New Year because it represents new hopes, new beginnings, and a fresh start.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n “I\u2019m from Zaporizhzhya, Southeast Ukraine. My city is close to the fighting. I hope my son can go to university and that we both can live in a safe environment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chu Chia Ho, Taipei, Taiwan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I\u2019ve been studying at Sinclair for one year. In the future I hope to major in Culinary Arts. I\u2019d like to open a restaurant.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n “My favorite holiday is Christmas.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the future, I might go back to Taiwan and open a restaurant one day. I miss my family and friends. Its been a longtime since I\u2019ve seen them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sue Cloonan, San Jose, Costa Rica<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn Costa Rica I was a pharmacist, that is what I have my degree in. I had a choice between studying ESOL or TOEFL and chose this program because of its structure. This type of class has more opportunities to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy plan is to pass the Board of Pharmacy license here. Maybe after that pursue a Master\u2019s degree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSemanta Santa is my favorite. As a Catholic, Semanta Santa or Holy Week as its known elsewhere, is a massive celebration. Family comes together, we follow certain traditions such as not eating pork or red meat, and attend church functions together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI miss my family. A lot of my friends live here but I feel like my heart is in San Jose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Deogracias Ona Edu Matete, Malabo, Equitorial Guinea<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the future I want to study economics. Back home there are many economic problems and I want to help my country develop and progress like the U.S., Spain, and France.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is my first semester so my first goal is to finish class. I would also like to help my family overcome some of the problems they are facing back in our country. Thinking about my family situation is tough and makes me very sad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI miss my friends, my mom, and grandma. That is why New Year\u2019s is my favorite holiday, because it is a time we can gather together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Santiago Ncogo Edu Matete, Malabo, Equitorial Guinea<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI like computers and hope to major in Computer Science.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy dream is to one day be rich. I want to have my loved ones around me and to be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI miss our food, my friends, and parents. Christmas and New Year are my favorite holidays because I miss them so much. Those are the times we used to gather.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mazimpaka Gatabazi, Kigali, Rwanda<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I graduated from university with a degree in Social Sciences in my country and when I got here I had to start learning English. I\u2019m in my last level and after that will figure out what to do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n “First, I want to build a life and be successful. I hope my children can achieve success in all they do. I want them to study, work hard, and become entrepreneurs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAny time I can spend with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ying-Tse Hisao, Taiwan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in America for a year. Back home I was an athlete. I\u2019m really passionate about basketball, baseball, and cooking. After I finish ESOL I\u2019d like to study cooking. My dream is to become a chef. I love cooking, experimenting with new flavors and recipes. Recently I even tried making an American burger and steak!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just want to work hard and study. My focus right now is on developing my English and cooking skills. One day I\u2019d like to open my own restaurant but I still have a lot to learn. Currently, my favorite dish to make is General Tsao\u2019s Chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI like Christmas in America. Last year was the first time I experienced it here. It was really nice!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wesley Joseph, Haiti<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI chose Sinclair because it was a college with a good reputation. When I looked it up, I learned its name was really respected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was born in Haiti and lived there 25 years. After that, in 2018 I traveled to Brazil where I lived for about five years in Porto Alegre. It\u2019s a very nice city. Last year I came to the U.S. to start a new life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope things in my country get better because of course I love my homeland. I also hope to improve my education and plan to one day develop my own startup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lan Meilin, Fujian Province, China<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter I pass the ESOL test I will think about my major. Right now, I just want to improve my language skills. I have three kids so when I do select a major it will likely be a shorter program, two years instead of four for example. I just hope I can maintain a balance and continue to study.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn China, I graduated as a business major so I think it will be easier to continue here. Maybe I\u2019ll work for a Chinese company in Ohio. I have a big dream for my three kids. My older daughter is a high-school student and I hope she can achieve her dream college. She likes design and art. For my two youngest, I just hope they study and are happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have been in Ohio for 10 years, so I miss my parents and family. Sometimes I miss our food and of course, my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy favorite holiday is Lunar Year. Its like New Year’s here. All the family gathers in one place and we enjoy our time together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Minh Anh Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe major I\u2019d like to study is Electrical Engineering. I love making things and know there\u2019s a big market for electricity related jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m going to try to finish ESOL, major in engineering, and one day transfer to Wright State. If I can manage my time well I would eventually like to get a Master\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope that my family will always be ok, that my career goes well, and for everyone to live in a peaceful world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI miss a lot of things. The food and culture especially but America is a really great place. You can meet people from all over the world, learn about their culture and food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s got to be Tet, which is the Chinese New Year. It\u2019s a holiday where family reunites in one place to celebrate together for two weeks. We go to our hometown and visit everyone there, celebrate, drink, and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Onesphore Niyitangimpano, Kigali, Rwanda<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCurrently I\u2019m taking some healthcare training in surgical instruments. After that I will move to civil engineering. That\u2019s what I was doing in my country and plan to take again to do it here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI need work hard and would one day like to start a family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChristmas. As a Christian it\u2019s a special time for me. That\u2019s the day where I remember my savior. I feel happy and at peace on that day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Deborah Oluduyile, Lagos State, Nigeria<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI pray that God helps me make it here. I would like to be a traveling nurse, go around the country to take care of people. And if I have the opportunity I\u2019ll help people back in my country too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI miss the weather back home. We have summer all-year round. The highest it can get is about 50-60 degrees and that\u2019s only for two weeks. We aren\u2019t used to the cold like it is here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChristmas. As a Christian, that\u2019s time I like to spend in church. We celebrate by visiting family and old friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paulo Sebastian Pedrahito Lopez, Peru<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI plan to study business management and marketing. I want to make my own clothing line but my dream is to become a professional soccer player.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u201cDefinitely Christmas. I get to spend time in my family and we eat a lot of good food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Esther Quintanilla, Trujillo, Honduras<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to get my career started so that one day I can become a chef. I love cooking traditional Honduran food and want to learn other types of cuisine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the future I hope to open a restaurant and be with my family. I want my son to live a good life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI like Christmas because I get to hang out with my family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexis Ukurikiyeyezu , Kigali, Rwanda<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to be a surgical instrument technician. I\u2019d like to change careers and I think there is a good opportunity in the health industry. I also like that it\u2019s a chance to take care of others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo live, help my kids grow, and obtain a good life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChristmas. I\u2019m Catholic and it\u2019s a family holiday for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sayuri Ulsan, Okinawa, Japan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight now I\u2019m doing things step by step and am focused on ESOL. In the future, however, its my dream to be a counsellor helping patients or kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do miss the food and the weather. Ohio is a little too cold for me. Okinawa is usually warm most of the year. My island, however, is relaxed like it is in America so I am comfortable here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNew year’s. In Japan during we go to shrines, clean our homes, make traditional food, meet family, and wear nice clothes. It\u2019s like Christmas is here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fidele Kirezi Cyisa , Rwanda<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI applied to other places and when I looked at everything Sinclair was the best fit for me. It is really flexible as well which is good because I\u2019m working. That makes it a lot easier to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy dream is to work on software development and maybe do a bit of robotics. I used to work on different projects as a refugee in Uganda and that is where I got some experience programming robotics. Then I got a chance to take an MIT course which really helped me develop. That\u2019s why here I want to focus on my strengths first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDefinitely Christmas. In our country it\u2019s a chance for people to come together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ismael David Mujahid, Executive Editor <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In these turbulent times, it can be easy to lose sight of the common humanity that unites us all. With a General Election around the corner, the spotlight has predictably fallen on immigrants and immigration. The Clarion was honored to be invited by Professor Denise Aselage to interview the 19 students of her ESL 0145 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10416,"featured_media":40502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tartan-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16-edited.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5s3vR-awE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10416"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40464"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40518,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40464\/revisions\/40518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/3-1-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/4-1-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/5-1-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/6-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/7-1-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/8-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/9-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/10-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/11-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/12-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/13-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/14-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/15-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/17-edited.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/18-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/19-edited-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n