It’s not easy to be away from home, and Saida Julius has reasons to miss her hometown. She describes it as “an ambient city where the view is nice, and there are a lot of beautiful beaches. It is a city where young people create instead of relying on others, a hospitable city where the rights of all are respected.”

Julius was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti where she spoke French, but in March she moved to the United States. “My father wanted me to finish my studies in the United States and there I will have many more opportunities,” she said. “My dad came to pick up my twin sister and me.” She spent her first month in Connecticut before she moved in with her older sister in California.

“From my childhood I spent only one Kindergarten to Secondary 2 School with the Sacred Heart Sisters run by the Daughters of Wisdom,” said Julius. After that, “I arrived in Armijo to conclude my classical studies. “

Because it wasn’t her choice, she realized that there were things about her culture and her home that she might not be able to access here, including her closest friends, the delicious food, and her hobbies. Still she is making the most of the situation. “What I like most about Armijo High School is the school spirit,” she said. “I love the teachers, the way they teach. “

At Armijo, Julius is already part of the Friday Night Live (FNL) Club. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to French music. “Claude Barzotti and Celine Dion are two of my favorite artists singing about love and nostalgia,” she said.

She plans to continue her education at either Berkeley or Stanford, where she hopes to study entrepreneurship. Her ultimate goal is to become an influential business woman.

While she has made herself comfortable in California, she does plan to go home one day. “I miss everything,” she said. “.I can say that everything is new to me, my family, California, Armijo, everything…It’s a new experience.”