Catalina High refugees offer look at U.S.
By Brian J. Pedersen
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.15.2008
When Hawa Bealue came to the United States three years ago, one of the first things she noticed was how different her neighborhood was compared with the one back home in Liberia.
Not so much in the way things looked, Bealue said, but in how people interacted.
Or, rather, didn't.
"We barely talked to each other," Bealue said. "It was not like that in my old neighborhood. It felt strange."
Bealue was looking for a way to express the feelings she had about her new life in the U.S., where she came as a refugee in December 2005.
She found it in the form of Finding Voice, a literacy and visual-arts program at Catalina Magnet High School.
The program was created by Julie Kasper, who teaches English and English as a second language. The two-year-old program has served as a sort of creative haven for Catalina's large refugee and immigrant student population.
Through words and pictures, Kasper said, her students are able to express their feelings about moving to a new world in a way that doesn't get muddled by possible language barriers.
"The goal is to develop youth voice, particularly among students that are learning a second language and a second culture," Kasper said. "This is helping them find a unique way of expressing their voice in a new community."
Finding Voice has completed three large-scale projects, two of which already have garnered widespread attention.
Its first project — called "Home? Teen Refugees and Immigrants Explore Their Tucson" — was completed in spring 2007 and was on display for four months in the offices of Tucson City Councilwoman Nina Trasoff.
That same exhibit grabbed the attention of U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who arranged to have it on display June 2 through 6 at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
"It was awesome," said Bealue, 18, who was one of six Finding Voice students who went to Washington to represent the program. "It was a very great experience."
Finding Voice's most recent effort — called "A New Country, A New Life: Tucson Teens Share Their Experiences With War and Immigration" — was recently completed and is being showcased on a rotating list of 22 bus stops throughout the Tucson area through April.
Kasper said the "Home?" project was meant to help get her students to open up about what it has been like for them living in the United States. Because language barriers can get in the way, she said, she encouraged many of them to first work with photos to tell their stories.
The students were educated on the use of metaphor, light and perspective by Josh Schachter, a local photographer.
"Every youth is different, but in many cases I felt that the youths that had the least command of the English language were most able to effectively articulate what they wanted to say visually," Schachter said. "It was a powerful way to express themselves."
For Bealue, who is set to graduate from Catalina in December, her photos were mostly of children playing in her neighborhood. It was a stark contrast from how the adults in her neighborhood interacted, she said.
"I saw kids playing, and I thought it was a good way to show that kids play together no matter what language they spoke," Bealue said.
For 15-year-old Eliseo Egurrola, his photos and essays for the "Home?" project were meant to show that immigrants such as him came to the U.S. to better themselves and their families, not just to get in the way.
"I wanted to let people know, let them know that the refugees and immigrants don't just come here just to make trouble," said Egurrola, who moved here from Mexico eight years ago. "We sacrificed (living with) the people we love, and our family, to get a better education. We're not here to just have fun."



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