Grace Khai is a 15 year-old who resides in Elkridge, Maryland and attends Howard High School. Khai is an optimistic individual whom I had the pleasure of meeting through the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. She is Burmese and she moved from her homeland to the United States, in hopes of achieving the American Dream. This is her story:

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“My real name is Huai Khai and I was born in 2004 in Iloilo City, Philippines, but my homeland is Myanmar. This country is also known as, Burma, which I have also resided in as well. I am the second-eldest child of six children. I speak multiple languages including English, Burmese, Siyin and Zo, which are different dialects in Burma.  

Throughout my ancestry, there was internal conflicts on my father’s side of the family. My great-grandfather, who practiced witchcraft, was a wealthy farmer who owned slaves. Even though, he was very successful, my grandfather opposed the practice of sorcery. My grandfather defied his family traditions and followed his heart. He decided to run away from home and he was enlightened by Christianity. Time passed. My grandfather made a fresh start with his own family and passed on his religious beliefs to my father.

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Although my parents were from different tribes, the language and culture barriers did not limit their love for one another; hence, my older sister was born. My mother, father, and older sister moved to South Korea where my father attended a Christian college. My mother and sister had to return to Burma, so my father was alone for a while in Korea. After my father finished college in South Korea, he then went to a school in the Philippines. My father wanted my mother and sister to live there with him so they settled in Iloilo City, Philippines. Years passed, I was born and shortly after, my younger sister was born as well. The profession that my father had undertook involved frequent transitions to new places and it was always exhilarating to discover new places. Eventually, we were relocated to our parents’ native country, Burma, where my younger brother was born.

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My family resided in Burma for a short amount of time before we moved to America. On September 29, 2008, my father immigrated to the United States prior to our arrival. He wanted to familiarize himself with the country and acquire educational and religious teachings offered in the States. He aspired for us to live a better life with formal education and other opportunities elsewhere. With his satisfaction of the lifestyle in America, he bought plane tickets shortly after. We followed my father’s footsteps and left behind family and friends. I was only five-years old at the time.

Many people would assume that I was heartbroken by the separation with closed ones, but that was not the case for me. Moving to foreign lands, it was a common occurrence in lifetime, which had progressed in the United States as well. Although my family and I were confused, we were thrilled for challenges that awaited us.

I began my journey alongside my mother and siblings. The plane to the United States was unbearable, I had terrible motion sickness that affected myself and others. Fortunately, I did not have other struggles, since I did not need to go with other refugees. We were able to leave alone, and we relied on each other. Since I was not a refugee, I could keep my actual birthday and so did my parents. However, we agreed to change our names for several reasons. In Burma, people would not be distinguished with the same last name. Therefore, people would not associate siblings with one another, since they would disregard last names. The other reason was because our real names were difficult to pronounce. My older sister changed her name from Cing Khan Vung to Rachael, I changed my name from Huai Nuam Khai to Grace, my brother changed his name from Khai Suan Khaul to Joseph, and my younger sister changed her name from Khai Suan Dim to Mary. My other two younger siblings, Hannah and Sarah, were born in America and alternating their names was unnecessary.

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In 2009, my family and I were a step closer to achieving the American Dream. My first memory in America was the language barrier with other individuals. We had minimal teachings of English; hence, we partook in the ESOL, English as a Second Language, program. The program was beneficial for my entire family and we are grateful for those who guided us.

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The endless moves to new places did not stop in America. We temporarily stayed in a suburban area in Liverpool, New York in a two-story house. Soon after, we moved to Syracuse, New York, which is the birthplace of my two other siblings. New York was the first location where my father was able to fulfill his duties as a pastor. I was able to start elementary school in New York from first grade to the start of my fourth grade year due to conflict between my father and my best friend’s family. My best friend’s family had opposed my father’s practices in church. To resolve the matter, my father decided to leave the situation since he accepted another offer in Maryland. When we arrived in Maryland, we lived in Glen Burnie within the Anne Arundel school district. I attended Solley Elementary School as a fourth grader. I struggled to accustom to the school, since I was shy and had minimal friends. Unfortunately, another situation arised, the single family home that we were renting had poor facilities and we moved once again.

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I disliked the transition to Elkridge, Maryland the most. I was forced to leave in the middle of my fifth grade year and “beloved” friends. The pattern continued, make some new friends and leave the old ones. Enraged by the transitions, I grew even more quiet in this new school environment and I was kind of isolated by others. Throughout my elementary school years, I continuously sought genuine friendships, since my relationships had always seemed artificial. Solley Elementary School and Elkridge Elementary School will forever be scornful experiences in my life. Until, I went to middle school. It was time to change everything: my personality and friendships.

Middle school was unlike my previous academic years.  I became sociable and sought true friendships, which progressed to high school. When I made the huge step in high school, I became talkative and enjoy connecting with others. I am now a freshman in high school and I embrace my friendships. I try to create new memories each day as I carry on with my life and follow my parents’ path to success.”