Through a program called Living in Two Worlds, Lynn English High School students presented short films and photographs regarding the challenges and benefits of their immigration journey and of their life as bicultural teens.
Before even walking into the event, there were a bunch of photos and narratives on poster boards, written in all of the student’s native languages, from all over the world.
Common themes of isolation, confusion, and overwhelm were brought to life through photos and words while simultaneously existing and belonging with other emotions such as hope, excitement, and happiness.
The short films were then played on a large projector in the Lynn English Auditorium, where a packed audience sat in support to hear, learn, and honor each student’s personal story.
Every story provided detail and imagery for the students’ lives and experiences in their home country and the struggles they endured in either staying or leaving. Each grappled with the happiness that existed in both places, oscillating back and forth between old and new friends.
I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with a few of the students after the event, to further reflect on their short films and what the experience meant to each of them.
Ghafour Diallo was the first to speak.
Diallo was raised in Guinea and recalled loving school so much that he went even when he knew he’d be late. He had arrived in Lynn in 2021 and was so happy to see his mom again. Diallo also mentioned that he plans to become a member of the Marine Corps and change the world before he dies.
He reflected a bit on why storytelling meant a lot to him, saying, “When coming to a new country, you want to tell people how it is,” Diallo said. “And I want to tell people how it is. It helps share your story.. especially to people who have never been to your country.”
Another student, Radeski Ajubeseh, spoke more on the event.
Ajubeseh was born and lived his childhood years in Cameroon. He said in the film that being able to see his mom at the airport in Boston was so exciting, and now, his family has dinners with other local families who fled the Civil War.
When reflecting on why this night meant so much to him, he had answered that he “felt so happy and appreciated what people did…it’s not easy to do that for that many students.”
He recalled his favorite part of creating his story was taking pictures and exploring himself.
Ajubeseh further mentioned why this event meant so much to him saying, “No one knew my story… and sharing my story made me feel like people would know what’s happening in the country.”
Tasawwar Rayan was the last to speak.
He was born in Bangladesh, where the only language spoken in his school was English. He said in the film that he was excited to move to America his freshman year. He ended up joining the JROTC and will be taking 5 APs next year. His plans and dreams are to study business or computer engineering in his future.
When reflecting after the film, Rayan said, “Art meant a lot to me…it allowed me to be able to explore myself, show my culture, and what brought me to my life today.”
His favorite part of the process was seeing and going through all his pictures and just being able to relive all those moments.
“I’m very surprised by the turnout,” Rayan said. “I’m happy that so many showed up and being able to see family, friends, and teachers in the crowd.”
Ginny Keenan, the executive director of Innovation and Grants Management expressed the importance of such a program, mentioning that “This program was designed to encourage respect for diversity and promote understanding across cultures.” And that “the support of LPS and our Lynn English community has allowed this program to thrive.”
