Determined refugee earns high school diploma with support of New Haven Adult School, now working and continuing education
Photo Courtesy of Mohammad Rafi Nazari
“Coming to the United States was like a dream,” says Mohammad Rafi Nazari. Less than two years after his arrival in the United States, the 25-year-old Afghan refugee demonstrated the power of persistence, earning a high school diploma from New Haven Adult School in the Bay area, a part of the Mid-Alameda County Consortium (MACC).
Nazari’s pursuit of a new life began when he was a teenager, learning basic English by watching movies like “Forrest Gump” and “The Godfather.” He took his interest a step further and created a self-study course on grammar, vocabulary and conversational English, built from his own online research.
Ultimately, this led to a job as a translator for the U.S. Army, then fighting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. In August of 2021, when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and issued death threats against everyone who had worked with the U.S., Nazari was forced to make a dramatic and painful exit from his home country.
“The school helps immigrants like me to open new doors. The teachers, the staff, the principal and the high school diploma supervisor were all kind and helpful.”
Mohammad Rafi Nazari, Former New Haven Adult School student, now at Chabot College
With no time to say goodbye to his parents and siblings, Nazari boarded an American military plane and flew to the U.S. “It was so hard to leave my family,” he says. “Once a week I can talk to my family in their village, but it’s in the countryside and they have to rent a car or taxi and drive downtown to use a telephone.”
His new home in the affluent, tech-driven Bay Area is a world away from his rural life in Afghanistan, which had neither electricity nor air conditioning. “I was so lucky to get this chance to come to the U.S.,” Nazari says.
However, his new life also came with obstacles. “When I arrived, I faced a lot of challenges and hard times. I applied for many jobs but I didn’t have a high school diploma and couldn’t get work. So I searched for a place to improve my English and get my diploma,” he says.
Once he’d enrolled in New Haven Adult School, he was tested on his level of English skills and placed in advanced English as a second language (ESL) classes for a month. He was planning to earn a GED, but the program manager suggested a high school diploma was a better route to success.
“The school helps immigrants like me to open new doors,” Nazari says. “The teachers, the staff, the principal and the high school diploma supervisor were all kind and helpful. I’m so happy with all of it.”
Nazari earned his diploma on June 1, 2023, and he again applied at many companies. This time his efforts were met with success, and he landed an assembly job working on industrial lighting.
Nazari’s schedule is demanding; he works from 5 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily, followed by classes at Chabot College from 5-9 p.m two nights a week. Once he graduates, he hopes to enroll in a university. “I’m not sure what career I’d like, but the counselors will assist me. I might like an office job or writing online as a journalist,” he says.
Nazari has still more plans for his future. He’d like to become a U.S. citizen and apply for his family to join him here. Like millions of immigrants and refugees before him, he’s embraced the path to the American dream.
“The weather, the opportunities – everything is better here. Every day I’m learning new things,” he says.
The New Haven Adult School is part of the Mid-Alameda County Consortium (MACC), one of 71 consortia of adult education providers across the state. The MACC includes Chabot College, Las Positas College, Eden ROP, Tri Valley ROP, and the adult schools in Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, New Haven, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo. For more information about New Haven Adult School, go to adultschool.mynhusd.org. For more information about the MACC and its member schools, go to www.macc4ae.org.
Written by Jill Spear
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California | English as a Second Language – High School |
