He wasn’t at Canyon Ridge High School for long, but Bhutanese refugee Lok Darjee feels a sense of attachment to his school.
As graduation day approaches, Darjee — who arrived in Twin Falls February 2011 from a refugee camp in Nepal — said he’s sad about leaving high school.
“I always feel school is home, you know,” he said.
Canyon Ridge High vice principal Mike Gemar describes Darjee is a good student with “exceptional work ethic” who shows a high level of respect for his teachers.
Darjee, he said, also provides leadership for other students in the English Language Learners program.
“He won’t tell you that, but I will,” Gemar said.
Darjee said his family members and teachers helped him get to graduation day.
“My teachers are like my parents,” he said. “They take care of me in every sense.”
Darjee will join 217 of his classmates during Canyon Ridge High’s graduation ceremony Friday at the College of Southern Idaho gymnasium.
He wants to continue his education at CSI, but isn’t sure what to study.
Darjee said he can’t leave Twin Falls because he helps take care of his family members. That includes translating and completing paperwork. Throughout his time in high school, he balanced those family responsibilities with schoolwork and a job.
The downside — it didn’t leave much time to be a teenager and spend time with friends he made at school, he said.
As a Canyon Ridge student, Darjee said one of the largest obstacles is the language barrier. Although he learned some British English growing up, he said some people at school can’t understand what he’s saying.
The school experience in Twin Falls is “totally different” than what he experienced before, he said, adding that he sees it as a higher quality education.
One of his favorite memories of his time at Canyon Ridge was International Week this spring.
Students had a chance to share food, music and customs from their home country. Darjee was the emcee for a school-wide assembly with musical performances.
He also enjoys videography and while he was in Nepal, he worked on a documentary about life in refugee camps. Darjee said he produced a video last week about school bullying.
High school students, Darjee said, face a variety of obstacles. But he said he wants to let other teenagers know there are opportunities available to them.
“High school is one of the opportunities for myself to know who am I,” he said.
Courtesy : Time-News
