Forming a Second Family at Mesa Community College

 

Life was not easy when Emma Seguy first arrived in Mesa, Arizona.

The 20-year-old was born in Paris, France. But when she was 16, she decided¹ she wanted to be more independent and to try something new.

So, Seguy asked her parents if she could complete her final year of high school in the United States. At first, they resisted the idea. She had never been that far from them before. But, in the end, she says, they saw how important it was to her and agreed to let her go.

"It was hard for my parents; I mean, seeing their 16 year-old leave the country. But I think my parents are very proud of me for being here."

In 2014, Seguy applied² to study at an American high school through the French group, International Student Programs Agency³, and the American organization, Educatius. These two international education exchange programs placed her at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona.

Right away, Seguy noticed major differences between life in Mesa and life in Paris. For example, she says people in Arizona are far less likely than Parisians to judge people based on their appearance.

But Seguy also experienced⁴ some major difficulties. Her English language skills were not as strong as she had hoped, and she missed her family much more than she thought she would.

She spent many nights crying and reading an English dictionary.

But luckily for Seguy, her exchange programs had also connected her with an American “host” family. These total strangers opened their home to Seguy while she completed her high school education. They also provided⁵ her with emotional⁶ support and did their best to help her succeed in her studies.

Seguy and her host family grew very close. She says they became like a second family to her. She also made some American friends in her French class at Dobson by helping⁷ them learn her native language.

Seguy says her ties to her new family and school friends became so strong that she decided not return home after graduation. Instead she chose stay in her newfound community while seeking higher education at Mesa Community College in 2015.

"It was supposed to be only for 10 months. And I ended up staying with them for three years, and they are still a big part of my life."

Mesa Community College is a public school established in 1963. It serves about 20,400 full and part-time students. Most seek two-year associate’s degrees.

Community colleges are lower cost than other schools. And cost was a major issue Fabrice Hampoh faced when he first considered international study. The 23-year-old is from the town of Bonoua in the Ivory⁸ Coast, and his family does not have much money.

Hampoh began his higher education at the Universite de Cocody, where he sought a bachelor’s degree in sociology⁹ in 2014. But he says he had always dreamed of studying in the United States, although he lacked the finances¹⁰ to do so.

Then, during a visit to the U.S. embassy¹¹ in his home country, Hampoh learned¹² of a special U.S. State Department program. The program is called the Community College Initiative¹³, or CCI.

The CCI connects international students with community colleges around the U.S. It places students at one of these schools and lets them study there for free for up to a year. It also gives the students a little extra money to cover their travel and living costs. So in 2017, Hampoh applied to the CCI program, got accepted and was sent to Mesa.

At first, Hampoh’s mother was worried about him being on his own. She did not want him to go. But he was able to persuade her that the program would offer him experiences he could not have otherwise. And, he argued, like Emma Seguy, he would have a support system waiting for him upon arrival.

The CCI program connects international students with host families. And Hampoh quickly grew close to his. They treated him like he was their real son, he says. And, they taught him how to survive in a foreign country.

The CCI program requires students to complete 100 hours of volunteer service during their stay. Hampoh’s host family immediately asked him to join in their own volunteer projects. One is a program that helps disadvantaged young Americans go to college. The other sends solar panel¹⁴ technology to Afghanistan.

Hampoh says his host father also taught him many important life lessons.

"When I came here…I didn’t know how to swim and he is actually the one who taught me from scratch how to swim. Now I’m like a fish."

The young Ivorian says he will never forget these lessons, even after he returns home to complete his studies.

Emma Seguy completed her associate’s degree program at Mesa last year. But after graduating, she decided she loved her second home so much that she wanted stay even longer. So she applied to a special program called Optional¹⁶ Practical Training, or OPT¹⁵. Under OPT, international students with an F-1 visa can work in the U.S. for up to one year in a field related¹⁷ to their studies.

Seguy says she has loved teaching¹⁸ since she was young, helping her little sister with her studies. She was especially interested in helping students with disabilities, as she has a disabled aunt. So, working in special education at Roosevelt Elementary School in Mesa was a natural choice for her, under the OPT program.

It is very common for community college graduates in the U.S. to continue their educations at four-year colleges and universities. Seguy plans to seek a bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University in the fall. After that she plans on returning to France.

But, like Fabrice Hampoh, she says the family that chose to host her, and made her feel so welcome, will never be far from her heart.

I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

proud – adj. very happy and pleased because of something you have done, something you own, or someone you know or are related to

applied – v. asked formally for something, such as a job, admission¹⁹ to a school or a loan²⁰, usually in writing

graduation – n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university

associate’s degree(s) – n. a degree that is given to a student who has completed two years of study at a junior college, college, or university in the U.S.

bachelor’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

finances – n. money available to a government, business, or person

disadvantaged – adj. lacking the things, such as money and education, that are considered necessary for an equal position in society

solar panel – n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity

from scratch – idm. from a point at which nothing has been done yet

disabilities – n. conditions, such as an illness or an injury, that damage or limit a person's physical or mental abilities

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

3 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

4 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

5 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

6 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

9 sociology   

n.社会学，社会关系学，群落生态学

参考例句：

• He is studying sociology.他正研究社会学。
• A pioneer of legal sociology in Germany was Max Weber.德国法律社会学的先驱是马克斯·韦伯。

10 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

11 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

12 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

13 initiative   

n.主动性，首创精神，主动权（的行动），倡议

参考例句：

• He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.他主动去看望校长。
• His employer had described him as lacking in initiative and drive.雇主说他缺乏进取心和干劲。

14 panel   

n.面，板，专门小组，控制板，仪表盘

参考例句：

• The unusual control panel on the walls caught our attention.墙上不同寻常的控制板引起了我们的注意。
• The panel of judges included several well-known writers.评判小组中包括几位知名作家。

15 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

16 optional   

adj.可任意选择的，非强制的，随意的

参考例句：

• The goods are optional, but only one.这些物品是可以任选的，但只能选一个。
• It is optional with you.那是你的自由。

17 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

18 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

19 admission   

n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券

参考例句：

• We attached a condition to his admission to our school.我们对准许他入校附加了一个条件。
• By her own admission,she was responsible for the accident.她自己承认，事故应该由她负责。

20 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？