Knicely Done: From peril to passionate purpose
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The recent high school graduation ceremony for Omaha Central included three students with the last name Mohammadi who picked up their diplomas in consecutive order.
It’s a remarkable achievement, considering they could not speak English two years ago.
Sisters Fawzia and Asia, along with their cousin Abdul, ended up in Omaha after a desperate escape from Afghanistan with eight other family members during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country.
“We were sitting so close together,” said Abdul describing what it was like on the cargo plane that carried them to freedom. “There were 700 people on the plane, and you could hardly stretch your arms or legs.”
“We didn’t know where to we were going,” added Fawzia. “We went to a lot of countries, Kuwait, Spain and finally to Indiana, and then they told us we were coming to Nebraska.”
They had never heard of Omaha, and not only did they have to catch up on subjects when they enrolled at Omaha Central High School, they had to learn English at the same time.
“It’s very hard to learn a new language,” said Asia, who was fifteen at the time, two years younger than Abdul and Fawzia. “And to see many people, different cultures, we were looking like different for them, like wearing scarf, hijabs, so we were different.”
All three students spoke highly of Central teacher Molly Davies, who encouraged them to not give up.
“Yeah, my English teacher, she’s so nice,” said Fawzia. “I told her that I can’t do it, I can’t graduate because I didn’t know any English. So, she supported me a lot and I tried harder and harder, and I feel so good. My English is so much better than it was before.”
And English is not a second language for them, each now speak five languages and Abdul is in the process of learning Spanish.
Their persistence not only paid off with high school diplomas, they also each earned a scholarship to continue their education.
“This is what we got,” said Abdul. “We never give up and we had to learn English and finally we graduate from the high school.”
Fawzia hopes to become a nurse practitioner, Asia plans to study computer science, and Abdul is interested in business and perhaps become a pilot.
An amazing journey with a bright future that Abdul, Fawzia and Asia intend to pursue with the same passion and determination.
Knicely Done!
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