Breaking barriers

By Calvin Tang

Sani Sukpreet, currently a junior in Yerba Buena high school, was able to overcome obstacles that tried to stop her in her life, such as having to learn English as a second language and adapt to a new living environment. But having personal support such as family and friends, and growing personally to overcome personal challenges. Making friends and learning more about herself such as her music taste and such.

One of the first challenges that she went through when she was young was moving to the United States, watching some informative videos and learning through videos and other means, “I watched a lot of videos like spongebob and put subtitles on them to better understand English”, said Saini.

Making new friends is a big part of everyone's life. For her, this journey began in middle school, where she joined the band and the chess club, each offering unique opportunities to connect with others. These experiences not only helped her build lasting friendships but also set the stage for her high school years. As she moved on to high school, the foundation she had built in middle school allowed her to further explore her interests and expand her social circle in exciting new ways.“It changed me alot, I met my closest friends there, and I think it was nice knowing that there were other people like me there and we shared a similar taste in music.” Said Sani.

From these experiences, Saini said “I guess when I started talking more to people and I started getting more comfortable walking up to people and talking to them.”

In addition to new experiences, her joining the chess club and band during middle school helped her see that making mistakes was part of growing as it allowed her to meet even more new people and find new friends. These activities allowed her to connect with others and build friendships, giving her the confidence to meet new people and expand her social circle.

“I guess I found out more things about myself and stuff and I got a better understanding about myself and what stuff I like.”, said Saini.

With this, she learned more about herself and her future goals, such as wanting to go to college in the field of nursing. The experiences gave her the confidence to face challenges and will help her make thoughtful decisions as she moves forward.

Saini said, “My sister also used to help me with school stuff because I wasn’t really good at anything and she helped me figure out easier ways to solve problems”

These experiences helped her understand her future goals and build confidence. She also got great support from her friends and family, especially her sister, who helped her with schoolwork. Their encouragement made a big difference, giving her the motivation to keep going.

Saini is still  working on improving herself and reaching her goals. She gets a lot of support from her friends and family, which assists her on her path.