Students Celebrate Heritage & Show Language Mastery through Seal of Biliteracy Program

PSLA at Fowler senior Tresor Sadiki stood in front of a panel of evaluators and spoke about his journey to the United States. He came from Rwanda, and when he arrived at Lincoln Middle School years ago, he was bullied. He recalled eating his first hamburger in the school cafeteria, he spoke of his dreams to pursue a career in construction, and he praised his PSLA at Fowler school staff for helping him get to where he is today.
 
Over the course of three days, nearly three dozen SCSD seniors representing Corcoran, Henninger, ITC, Nottingham, and PSLA at Fowler traveled to the SCSD Professional Development Center to complete their final presentation as candidates for the Seal of Biliteracy. The New York State Seal of Biliteracy recognizes high school graduates who demonstrate academic excellence in attaining proficiency for one or more languages other than English.
 
“It took me almost two years to fully understand English,” PSLA at Fowler senior Amira Shoubassi, whose first language is Arabic, shared. “The Seal of Biliteracy is something that makes me feel more attached to my heritage… and it will definitely help me stand apart as I apply to jobs!”
 
For their presentations, students provided information about their background, as well as a presentation in both English and the second language of their choice – along with interviews and question and answer sessions in both languages. Evaluators judged their mastery of language, with top scoring candidates ultimately earning the prestigious seal on their high school diploma.
 
Presentation day was all about celebrating where students came from – and where they’re going.
 
“I hope to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country in college,” Corcoran senior Caroline Menon shared. “It will be helpful for me to have this level of fluency – and it will also help me in jobs and as I move forward in life.”
 
“I have lots of friends here who speak Kinyarwanda,” Tresor added. “I can’t go more than an hour or two without speaking it! The language means a lot to me. A lot of people come to America and forget their language and are okay with that. I’m not like that. I want to speak Kinyarwanda everywhere I go to show my African love and tell everyone the story of where I came from!”
 
This year’s Seal of Biliteracy Candidates include Soleil Mugabekazi, Anacecilia Rodriguez, Luxe Manzi, Catherine Bravo Cespedes, Sham Nedal Issa, Yuliannis Venero Del Tor, Abbas Ali, Yarelis Diaz-Fernandez, Maram Al Taleb, Saima Hamo, Eloisa Pare-Coronel, Mouath Alhoshaishi, Michel Triana, Patricia Rodriguez Reyes, Pavel Rojas, Yanelis Diaz-Fernandez, Ladan Abdullahi, Tresor Sadiki, Caroline Menon, Sabina Panday, Ayan Omar, Baraka Enock, Myra Menon, Paw Ah Khee, Leyla Woledi, Alliance Tuyishime, Barkad Ahmed, Naw Paw, Ayan Dahir, Prisca Niyogusenga, Filsan Sirat, Amira Shoubassi, Kadra Habseme, Alphonsina Patrick, and Najmo Ali.
 
Congratulations to all of you… we’re proud of your hard work and your efforts to celebrate #SCSDDiversity!