For months Rainer has been occupying any available laptops at MLOV to write his personal statement for college applications and scholarships. We let him use the laptops on one condition. that we can publish one of his essays on our blog. After months of laboring, here it is!   

“Destiny is not a matter of change, it is a matter of choices. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved”  -William Jennings Bryan


I will never forget the day my mother left us. It was February 28, 2004 when she migrated to the United States of America to help improve our economic status and lifestyle. Her move gave us the chance to pursue a better education and a comfortable life after she separated from my father. Her migration also brought me closer to my siblings, because I had to take responsibility for my younger brother. In high school I focused on my education to make my mom proud. I wanted her to be proud to have a son with the highest grades. Even though she was far away we continued fighting for the dream to be together as a family again. After a while we lost contact with our father because he started a new family. During these years my grandfather was 83 years old, he took the place of my father and was also my mentor and teacher. I spent
with him nearly my entire life learning about construction, cabinetmaking, and most importantly to love the city where I am living no matter where it is because wherever there are people who care about you is where we should call home. He taught me that everyone has a place in their society and that we have to find our place, and play our role to improve our communities.


In my life I have gone through education in two cultures: Peruvian and American. I was educated in Peru at a public school called Luis Vallejos Santoni, a technical school. My school provided students who attended it the chance to earn a technical career after high school. This is where I took culinary classes for 4 years, learning how to cook traditional foods and prepare certain types of drinks that are popular in Peru. This opened up new opportunities for me to get into the tourist industry. I started to work to earn money for the transportation from my school to my home because my mother could only send us money for groceries and school supplies. I did not want my mother to have to worry about my transportation as well. However, the owner of the restaurant knew that I was a student and could not work without the permission of an adult so he took advantage and paid me less than other workers. I could not work full time because I did not want my job to interfere with my education, so I decided to work every weekend and during school breaks. After 2 years I became a senior and could not continue working for the restaurant because I needed to prepare myself for college. With the support of my teachers and peers I studied hard hoping to get into college to become good individual to support my community.

Before I could finish school in my country my mother suggested I immigrate to the United States with my younger brother and sister. My brother and I arrived in United States on November 26, 2009. My sister could not come and she stayed in Peru. During the time I have been in this country I have worked to learn the English language and adapt to my new environment. Throughout this process I have met different kinds of people and organizations with my same objective: to improve this society. I became part of the Latin America Youth Center where I learned about leadership, the Latino community’s problems and how to use technology to help community member of Washington D.C. I have also been in Many Language One Voice, learning the importance of the rights of English Languages Learners (ELLs), and that people have the power to change their communities. I am currently also a member of a program with the purpose to rebuild Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School to provide a better learning environment for all students.

My mother’s decision to move to United States changed my life. It made me focus on my education and take responsibilities for my decisions to grow as a person. The education I received from different cultures changed my perspective about world. It has taught me that everyone has to work hard to achieve their goal. American culture taught me that we can help each other to succeed. My experience as an immigrant has taught me that I have a choice to work for my success and work to contribute to my society to make a better place. However, I know I cannot accomplish my dream to become a Civil Engineer and help this world alone. Just as an individual should help improve their communities, communities must also support individuals. Communities and individuals have to work together to improve society. This is why I am applying to Esperanza Scholarship. Your scholarship will help me achieve my goal, in turn we can work together to make our society a better place for all of us to live.

Rainer Luza, Roosevelt Senior High School
We're proud to announce that Rainer was accepted into UMASS Boston this week! UMASS Boston was Rainer's dream school where he will enroll next year to pursue a career in civil engineering. Rainer has also been selected as a semi-finalist for the Esperanza Education Award, an award funded by the Mayor's Office of Latino Affairs. Congratulations Rainer, we are so proud of you!

Tewodros Kassahun, Cardozo Senior High School
Teddy is going to California this summer! SMART's Lead Student Organizer, Teddy, has been accepted into SOUL Summer School. "SOUL Summer School provides a structured time to work full-time to develop your grassroots organizing skills and your political analysis." He was selected  from a pool of amazing community leaders nationwide. Congratulations Teddy, we'll miss you, but are excited for the amazing experience you'll be having!

Coolidge Senior High School will be the first high school in DC with an "ELL Support Group", a student envisioned and led initiative meant to enrich the overall experience of the school's ELL families. 

Coolidge SMART members spent this past school year researching the best school-based approaches to addressing issues commonly faced by ELL students. After much research, group discussion, and working through proposals, students presented their idea for an intergenerational team dedicated to transforming their school into a multicultural hub. Coolidge's Principal, Thelma Jarrett, was extremely enthusiastic about implementing this student-envisioned project and celebrated the possibility of engaging more immigrant parents in school activities.

Principal Jarrett requested to meet with students again later this month to review SMART's suggestions for the concrete action steps Coolidge needs to take to successfully implement the group next year. The principal also asked students to consider personalizing the name of the group to include Coolidge's overall mission and vision. 

Congratulations to all our SMART members who made this happen: Lidya Abune, Rahwa Mebrahtom, Yonatan Abune, Melat Tsehaye,  Fasil Tsahaye, Tedla Mekkonen, Basluel Mekkonen, Holy Mbah, Kevine, Ribeka Amanuale, Samuael Seyoum, Nahom Girma, Tensaye Dagnachew

Coolidge SMART has called an emergency meeting today. Students are at this very moment preparing for a greatly anticipated meeting with their Principal, Thelma Jarret. The meeting will take place this Monday, April 30th after school.  

SMART organizers will be advocating on behalf of ELL students in their school for the creation an "ELL Support Group", an intergenerational group made up of staff, students, parents and community group representatives that would help support the development of a truly welcoming environment for ELL students at the school. 

If the Coolidge agrees to adopt the "ELL Support Group" proposal- an initiative envisioned and driven by students- it would be the first high school in DC to implement a project of this kind. 

Wish us luck!

To find out more about what an "ELL Support Group" would actually look like, read our proposal: 

Chairman Kwame Brown's office called last Thursday to postponed his April 25th meeting with SMART's student organizers. His office is yet to confirm the date for another meeting in mid-June.

The meeting, requested by Lead Student Organizer Tewodros Kassahun during a public hearing in early February, was a youth-led and driven step towards raising awareness among decision makers about the issues English Language Learners face in DC Public High Schools. Part of the organizing work SMART takes on in schools and district-wide is keeping government agencies accountable to abiding by the Language Access Act of 2004, which requires agencies with high public contact to provide interpretation and translation services to limited- and non-English proficient District residents. 

D.C. Public Schools is one of the many agencies that needs to be held accountable for providing interpretation and translation services. Despite the passing of the Language Access Act of 2004, the majority of SMART members do not see the act implemented in their schools. Not having interpretation and translation services in schools affects students and their families, especially when entering the school and attempting to communicate with security guards, at the main office trying to communicate with front desk staff, during parent teacher conferences, and during student's one-on-one meetings with their counselors. Parents who do not speak English have been made fun of, insulted, made to wait hours before being asked to return another day, and completely disregarded. 

Before the school year ends, SMART members also intend on meeting with Chancellor Kaya Henderson and the Office of Bilingual Education in hopes that DCPS will take into consideration some of the students' simple and low-budget recommendations for making the experience of English Language Learners less alienating. Chancellor Kaya Henderson's office has yet to confirm a date when she would be available to meet with SMART. Despite having to wait a month and half to meet with Chairman Brown, SMART organizers will continue to try and meet with decision makers and help government officials meaningfully engage community members in creating positive change. 

Photo Credit: Daniel del Pielago, Empower DC's Grassroots Media Project

Interview with Tewodros Kassahun, Lead Education Organizer

Why is SMART successful amongst our members?
The first reason for smart to be successful is because it is a youth led program. The participants in our monthly meetings are our friends. We go throw what they go too. These have created a bond to approaches us and tell us what have happened to them. They are not talking to an adult who don’t feel what they are going throw this have made them engaged to SMART. The second reason is that no one is telling them what they should do; they make decisions about what issues we must work on and how the working process should take place. This has made each SMART member responsible. It’s a popular education, that is going on SMART, not regular classroom teaching and learning process, we can't teach another person, but we facilitate another's learning and help each other as we learn. The third reason is consistency. Our facilitator and we the youth leaders have been working on these issues on consistence basses. These have clarified the problems and have made us engage to what we are doing. This has made us pro and had made our friends trust us on what we are doing, which have made them come to our meeting every month. 

What goals does SMART have for 2012-2013? 
For this year we have clarified the problems and we have come up with solutions. We have prepared policy to solve these issues. Next year it is there turn to make sure for these solutions to be implemented. They should go around schools and talk to students to make sure DCPS is implementing the policy. If these are not happening they should go to the public hearing and testify in front of the council members.


What could more money help smart do in 2012-2012?
More money could help SMART to buy equipment like interpretation devices, rent bigger rooms for our monthly meetings. To buy more food for our monthly meeting because we sometimes run out of food, and this affect the participation of our members on our meetings. Money for transportation. Since we attend different meetings. To make more flayers, brochures and spread them out.To buy laptops!