Students from around the globe have immigrated into the Evanston community.

Walking through the halls of ETHS, most of us don’t pay great attention to the diversity; while many come from just a few blocks away, there’s also the few that have come from countries around the globe.

For the students, the overseas transition process creates certain challenges such as language barriers, and adjusting to new school systems.

Once here, integrating oneself into the ETHS community and Evanston itself can create its own challenges and barriers.

   Jess Hawkins

“I transferred from Aylesbury High School near London, England in August 2013,” tells Jess Hawkins, junior.

“Both systems are very different; the English system is based a lot on memory but it’s the same for every student. The American system measures you more as a student. The standardized tests are hard to get used to as I’ve never done anything like that before!” explains Hawkins.

“I felt apart of the school pretty early on because being part of the swim team made me feel really included and part of the Evanston community,” explains Hawkins.

Alric Hutchinson

“I transferred in the summer of 2011 from Jamaica,  from B.B Coke high school,” explains junior Alric Hutchinson, “ both of my parents were here in the United States and so they

decided they wanted me come here to see what it was like.”

“When I first transferred here it was a bit difficult because I had a very strong accent and sometimes it was hard for people to understand me,”  explains Hutchinson. “The things that I learned back in Jamaica are completely different from what is being taught here.”

“It took me quite sometime to feel a part of the school because not only was I new to the school, I was new to the community and the country,” explains Hutchinson. “So far it has been an amazing experience and I really love it here; I even refer to this place as my home now.”

Pouyan Pmf

“I transferred from Iran, Allameh Tabatabaei High School, which is one of the good schools in Tehran, Iran,” tells Pouyan Pmf, senior.

“Our culture and the way we go to school is different because boys and girls are separated,” tells Pmf.

“It (ETHS) gives me so many opportunity to show my talents or to show myself to others,” tells Pmf, “I have some friends that I think will become best friends after a while.”