Maxfield scholar’s uncertain future
Maxfield student Kulmiye and his family experience hardships as they moved from Somalia to the United States.
By Ariel Dunleavy and C.J. Washington | Reporters
Kulmiye didn’t know what to expect from the future. As he and eight siblings boarded the plane to America for the first time, everything around him was a mystery. Kulmiye carried with him the same fear all young children do when they move to a new place.
What will the school be like? What will our new house be like? How will I make friends?
Fear quickly turned to wonder as he boarded a plane for the first time. The massive, steel beast of a Boeing 737 was ginormous and unlike anything Kulmiye had ever seen. Screens protruded from the backs of every seat with every movie and show he could think of.
“I watched old black and white movies the whole time,” he said, with the kind of excitement of someone who just got off a thrilling rollercoaster.
No matter what the future would hold, however, Kulmiye would not let go of two things: his family and his culture.
“He loves to remind people of his culture.” — Brooke Gottschalk, fifth-grade teacher.
Once settled into the United States, Kulmiye and his family would still love to have fun together, going to local places like Como Zoo. Even though his family is fully living in America, Kulmiye still fully embraces his home culture. To this day, his family still does not celebrate holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. Even his fifth-grade teacher, Brooke Gottschalk, recognizes this part of Kulmiyes’s identity.
“He loves to remind people of his culture,” she said.
Kulmiye is still just getting started, and just like when he and his family boarded that plane so many years ago, who knows what the future holds?
