In life, a handful of people are faced with making the decision of moving. Whether it be moving for job or education opportunities, a move like this can completely alter a person’s life. 

My father, Oscar Garcia, moved to the U.S during the 90’s. 

“During those years, jobs were low, no one needed more workers,” said Garcia. “The pay was extremely low. It was about 200 pesos per week, which is 11 US dollars, and my family was struggling horribly financially. We were a big family of eight siblings in total. Moving to the US seemed like the only option.”

Pursuit of higher wages is a big reason why people decide to move to the US. Still, there are lots of things to consider when preparing to move. Among these worries, one of the largest is the language barrier.

“When moving, I had a lot of worries, one being how will I communicate?” said junior Mabely Ojeda-Carrillo. “I hated not understanding nor being understood.”

High school is already hard enough. Students are growing and finding their voices, and  students who are new to the country have to learn and adapt to a new environment. The hardships they face include language barriers, as well as not being able to understand their lessons as quickly as other students, which can result in falling behind.

Students can feel excluded due to their lack of understanding of their new environment. Other students said that upon arriving and adapting, their mental health significantly declined. These struggles often occur due to missing family, friends and their home. 

“I found myself being alone most of the time. This really affected me emotionally,” said Ojeda. “I wasn’t used to being alone, especially in a whole new school.”

For all of the disadvantages of moving, however, there’s plenty of advantages. Moving allows a person to open the door to new opportunities, meet new people and learn new cultures and languages. 

“Moving allowed me to experience and see new things. I got to travel to places I dreamed of like Chicago, Atlanta, and finally, where I settled down here in Michigan, where I also bought my very first home,” said Garcia. “It was a rewarding experience. If I had to, I would do it all over again.”

Whether it be moving because of necessity or choice, most agree it was the best decision they could’ve made.