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Wearing cap and gown fullfills dream
Published 12:00pm Thursday, May 28, 2009As a young girl living in Egypt, Salada Duqow’s only exposure to the idea of high school graduation came through the television screen.
“They just looked so beautiful in the caps and gowns,” said Duqow, a senior at Pelican Rapids. “I never thought I would be like those kind of people.”
Duqow and her family fled to Egypt to escape the dangers of civil war in her home country, Somalia. She was just 10-years-old at the time.
Her memories of life in Somalia are anything but rosy. She and her siblings never sat close to one another, in the fear that if gunfire struck, it would take two lives at once. Because of the danger the war presented, Duqow and her siblings did not attend school.
During her time in Egypt, Duqow recalls watching out her apartment window at the children in uniforms boarding the bus for school.
“I wished that I could be like them, but I couldn’t,” Duqow said.
Because Duqow had not been born in Egypt, she was not allowed to attend traditional school — something she says she had always wanted to do.
The move to Egypt was thought of by her and her family as a transition spot before a permanent move to America. But the move to America was never a certainty. The Duqow family spent the entire time in Egypt waiting to hear whether or not their refugee visas for the U.S. would be granted.
Much to Duqow’s delight, she and her family were finally given the green light. Seven months later, they were on their way to America.
The move to Pelican Rapids was made primarily because of family friends who had already settled in the area.
Shortly after her arrival in America, Duqow, along with her two sisters and brother, began school within the Pelican Rapids School District.
“That was a big change,” Duqow said with a smile.
Having now spent the past four years in the high school, she’s come to appreciate the American customs and traditions, and the value of hard work.
School hasn’t always been easy, admits Duqow. She’s struggled with classes taught in her second language, and has taken extra time with tutors before and after school to be sure to make the grade.
But Duqow’s not complaining — she’s rejoicing in a dream come true.
“It is so great,” she said. “Today I am the one who is wearing the cap and gown. I cannot believe myself.”
Next year, Duqow and her sister, Qamar, who is also graduating this year from Pelican Rapids, will attend M State – Fergus Falls. Duqow plans to go into nursing.
