麻豆放映免费

Four years ago, freshman Artun Gunturkun was stepping onto a plane, his excitement unfolding underneath a pile of fear. He was immigrating to the U.S. after living his entire life in Ankara, Turkey. Along with his mother, father and sister, Gunturkun faced the challenge of constructing a whole new life in an unfamiliar country.

Gunturkun and his family first moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and after living there for three years, they moved to Palo Alto. When he first moved to the U.S., Gunturkun鈥檚 biggest challenge was learning a new language. 鈥淲hen I first came, I had zero knowledge of English,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 speak or understand (it). That was a really big challenge I had to face when I came (because) when I went to school, I couldn鈥檛 understand anything.鈥�

Although Gunturkun鈥檚 move was challenging, it was also rewarding: The U.S. promised immigrants like Gunturkun and his family stronger educational opportunities and higher standards of living than those accessible to them in Turkey. In recent years, the Turkish government鈥檚 policies have caused extensive growth in the manufacturing sector, according to the World Bank, which has led to inflation. 鈥淗ere it is not really like that,鈥� Gunturkun said. 鈥淲e can afford a lot of things that we wouldn鈥檛 be able to get back in Turkey, and (those things) could be essential for life. For example, because of hyperinflation, everything from food to houses are much more expensive.鈥�

Although it took him time to adjust to his new surroundings, Gunturkun was able to surround himself with people with shared interests and to access educational resources that granted him unique opportunities. After the changes he鈥檚 adapted to and the challenges he鈥檚 overcome, he reflects on his growth and looks forward to his life in the U.S. 鈥淚 made new friends and I went to a new school, but I鈥檓 still the same person as I was in Turkey,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut (after moving to the U.S.) it鈥檚 helped me get more opportunities in comparison to Turkey.鈥�

For sophomore Alex Efermova, immigrating to the U.S. from his small town 鈥� Krasnoyarsk, Russia 鈥� seemed like an impossible privilege because it provided a fresh start.

Because Efermova didn鈥檛 have the resources to learn about the LGBTQ+ community in his primarily conservative town, he felt alone in and confused about his identity. 鈥淚 am a queer person,鈥� Efermova said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know (being queer) existed (until) I was 10 or 11. Growing up, I didn鈥檛 know anyone who was queer. It鈥檚 so hard to find queer (representation) in Russia, especially in not-that-big of a town.鈥�

The size of his school only made the atmosphere more oppressive. With only twenty rooms in his school, Efermova spent 11 years with the same class of 30 students. 鈥�(My classmates were) very homophobic 鈥� (they made) fun of gays,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was called slurs. It was not very pleasant, but I assumed that there wasn鈥檛 anything different.鈥� Even though living in a safe and accepting environment was a dream for Efermova, he doubted it would ever materialize. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think it would ever come true in a way that I (could) experience it myself,鈥� he said.

In February 2022, Efermova faced the prospect of something different: life in the U.S. Efermova鈥檚 dad, who owned a software company, wanted the family to relocate to Silicon Valley, where he would have more clients. Efermova wasn鈥檛 completely on board. 鈥�(Moving) to the U.S. was more of my dad鈥檚 dream than mine,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was not entirely happy about coming here. I鈥檓 a person that likes (stability).鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 until after becoming accustomed to his new life that Efermova finally found people he could connect with: allies both within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community. 鈥淚 connected (with) a bunch of other people, and now we have (a) friend group,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a person who never had many friends, and never was very accepted anywhere, I feel really grateful to (have) my friends. They chose me to be in a friendship with. I feel like this is the best my life has ever got.鈥�

Although Efermova was initially opposed to immigrating to the U.S., he now appreciates his dad鈥檚 decision. 鈥淚 am really grateful (to) my parents for bringing me here,鈥� Efermova said. 鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 not something that I explicitly was dreaming of, America brought me the dream of freedom to be able to be myself.鈥�

Excited for a fresh start, junior Marie Lozada immigrated to Palo Alto from Caracas, Venezuela, in 2021 with her father and brother in pursuit of a safer living environment and educational opportunities.

According to Lozada, Venezuela experienced a social and humanitarian collapse due to a struggling economy and inaccessible necessities for many citizens. Although Lozada lived in a wealthy neighborhood, her living environment became unsafe due to thieves and gangs. 鈥淚 heard disturbing stories about people being attacked at night, robbed in broad daylight, taken by the police and found dead,鈥� she said.

Initially, Lozada thought that the 鈥淎merican Dream鈥� meant getting married, having kids and working a decent job. However, she soon learned that it meant citizens had the equal opportunity to become successful through hard work and determination. 鈥淚 wake up every morning to go to school, go to water polo or swimming practice 鈥� even if I am tired or have other things to do 鈥� and I want to learn more and more about new things by being curious in my classes,鈥� she said.

Lozada said these activities and classes make her proud because they challenge her to stay motivated and improve. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see them as a hardship,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 see it as a challenge to myself.鈥�

While Lozada did expect stricter laws and societal norms in the U.S., she was surprised by Americans鈥� culture of following them. 鈥�(In Venezuela,) most people break all the existing rules 鈥� legal, social and ethical,鈥� she said.

Lozada鈥檚 high school in Caracas was about the size of Gunn鈥檚 football field and only offered five classes, with no option for students to change their schedules. With Gunn鈥檚 larger campus and plentiful resources, Lozada has been able to make more of her education. 鈥淛oining clubs and taking AP (Advanced Placement) classes are challenges for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never done something like that, and I鈥檓 really happy with the results.鈥�

Five years ago, senior Jenny Lee landed in the U.S. after a 10-hour flight from Seoul, South Korea. She anticipated a land of limitless opportunity, famed for gifting its citizens success according to their efforts.

Lee moved to the U.S. primarily for its educational and job opportunities. 鈥�(We decided to move so that) I could have more diverse experiences compared to a strict academic environment back in Korea,鈥� she said. In Korea, high school and college admissions are focused on students鈥� GPAs and scores on the College Scholastic Ability Test, an annual college- entrance exam. In the U.S., however, many colleges employ a 鈥渉olistic review鈥� process in which they evaluate students鈥� extracurriculars and life experiences in addition to their academic performance. Thus, Lee鈥檚 family hoped to provide Lee with a broader range of activities and experiences through moving.

Since her perception of the U.S. was largely shaped by short summer trips and movies such as 鈥淢ean Girls,鈥� 鈥淗igh School Musical鈥� and 鈥淕lee,鈥� Lee didn鈥檛 expect the competitive environment at Gunn. She had previously envisioned a 鈥渇ree鈥� lifestyle where students pursued their passions and had more freedom. 鈥淚 was surprised to see that many were actually living similarly to what I鈥檝e seen in my own country,鈥� she said.

After living in Palo Alto for five years, though, Lee has also seen that not everyone can succeed through hard work 鈥� contrary to the ideals of the American Dream. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen so many cases where economic/financial status, social status, race and heritage predetermines you as a person,鈥� she said. 鈥淒epending on relations, family, background, the opportunities that everyone could have vary.鈥�

Still, Lee鈥檚 wish to diversify her experiences has been fulfilled, and she is enjoying the wide range of extracurriculars and subjects that she has been able to pursue. 鈥淭here are significantly (more) majors or interests that you can explore, both in terms of career and schools,鈥� she said.