Lizbeth Medina Graciano, this week’s Senior in the Spotlight, can sum up how she has earned an impressive 3.9 GPA in three words: “little by little.” Lizbeth moved to the United States when she was a sophomore, and she said she was able to face many challenges by tackling them little by little.
“Coming here to the United States has been a drastic change since I had to leave my family in Mexico,” she said. “It has been a difficult decision; however, I knew that I had to come here to learn the language so that I could have more opportunities.
Lizbeth was born in the US but lived most of her life in Mexico. When she came back she did not know any English. “When I first arrived I didn’t understand anything, but little by little I began to understand and I adapted.” Her first year here, she received all A’s with the exception of a B and C in co-ed weights. Since then, she has earned straight A’s with one exception: a B in an online health class.
“I think it is very difficult to learn a new language,” she said. “However, with the help here, it got easier and then little by little I noticed that I was learning.”
Lizbeth credits her “very good” English teachers for helping her succeed in school and the many “wonderful people” who have helped her along the way. “I think I have become a better person thanks to them,” she said. Then she adds “still, the people who have had the most influence on my life are my parents since I am here because of them.”
At this point, Lizbeth has mixed feelings about graduating. “What excites me most about graduating is that I can say to myself ‘I did it’ and be able to tell my parents that it is possible. What scares me is that I still don’t know what I want to be in my life.”
Most likely, she will figure it out little by little.
For more information, please visit senatorsnow.org.
(By Michele Quintero, Carson High School Counselor)