Overcoming fears and sometimes illness, foreign students find success in helping others who also come to America

This article appeared in the St. Petersburg Times on Nov. 25, 2001.

By KENT FISCHER

When Maika Nguyen came to America from Vietnam in 1996, she was like "a scared little bird." Motherless, speaking no English and in awe of her giant new school, Maika cried during her first day of middle school.

Five years later, Maika sees herself as an "active and successful bird" who is trying to help "build a warm and loving nest for the new birds."

Maika, 18, is now a standout student at Gulf High School, taking four advanced placement classes and maintaining a 3.9 grade point average. She's in the National Honor Society, a member of the chess and poetry clubs and helps new Vietnamese students settle in to their new school.

For her efforts, Nguyen was one of three students recently awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the Pasco Pediatric Foundation. The scholarships go to hard-working students who have overcome formidable odds to achieve academic success. The other winners were Emilia Antosiewicz and Michael Duncan.

Maika came to America with her father and two older sisters. They originally settled in Tarpon Springs but moved to New Port Richey a year later.

"When we first got here, we got bills and we couldn't read them," Maika said. "We would take them to a friend who could translate them for us."

Now that Maika has settled in, she tries to help other Vietnamese refugees get their bearings in their new country. She volunteers her time translating for parents at school conferences and helping other newcomers with transportation.

Maika said she was shocked to see how American students treat their teachers. In Vietnam, students are taught early to respect their teachers. There's even a class that students must take that teaches children to obey and cherish their elders and teachers, she said.

"The teachers here are really good and very nice," Maika said. "They are so helpful. They are helping me apply to college, and they stay after school to help me."

Maika was recently accepted to the University of Central Florida, but she's also applying to the universities of Florida and South Florida. She wants to study optometry.

Like Maika, Emilia came to America as a teenager. Originally from Poland, Emilia and her family immigrated here in 1998 so she could have surgery at the Shriner's Hospital in Tampa for a severe case of scoliosis. Since she's arrived, Emilia has had four surgeries and spent nearly a year in the hospital.

She too spoke no English and felt overwhelmed by life in her new country. Three years later, she takes honors classes at Mitchell High School and maintains a 3.9 grade point average.

"People were very patient with me," said Emilia, 17, a senior. "It wasn't easy to focus because everything hurt" from her medical problems.

Emilia tutors students at Mitchell and helps organize holiday food drives. She said her two best friends are her pugs, Scooter and Penny. Her current challenge is trying to learn guitar. And although English isn't her native language, she loves Shakespeare, particularly Macbeth.

"Sometimes I wish people talked like that," said Emilia.

Emilia also plans on studying medicine in college.

There was a time when Michael was out of school more than he was in it. Diagnosed with leukemia at age 14, he missed half of his ninth-grade year of high school and all of 10th grade. He took classes over the telephone through the school district's homebound program.

His chemotherapy treatments lasted until last February. He still makes regular trips to the hospital for blood work and other tests.

"It was really hard for math," said Michael, 17. "I had to have a tutor come to my house. I'm not that good with math anyway. I just had to try."

A senior at River Ridge, Michael's teachers said he never uses his leukemia as an excuse for not doing his school work. He also supports other students who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Michael carries a 2.8 grade point average and works an after-school job at McDonald's.

"I definitely don't want to work there forever," he said. "I want to go to college and get a job and make real money."