Even though Bibi Arman’s story is unique, she is herself a representation of the diversity in Aurora Public School’s student body.
The 16-year-old Gateway High School graduate has been in Aurora for three years, after her and her family immigrated from their home in Afghanistan. Arman’s father is a doctor and worked with Americans during the Afghanistan War — and that cooperation put the family in danger.
“If people had found out we were working with Americans, there was some danger. So that’s why we moved out here,” Arman said. “I was happy (to move here) but still sad because I was leaving my country. But happy because I could continue my education, which is the important thing in my life, to become a doctor. So, it was a good opportunity for us.”
Arman said the move across the globe was an adjustment. Not only was she trying to understand a new culture that was dramatically different than where she had grown up, but also mastering a difficult language. The only phrase she knew in English when she first came to Gateway was a common one for most immigrants: “I don’t speak English.”
“The culture and people here are totally different, especially compared to Muslim (culture),” Arman said. “Here, it was strange and different. But I got used to it slowly.
“It’s totally different here, especially the schools,” she added. “Here, each teacher has their own classroom and materials. And in Afghanistan we used to be in one classroom and the teachers would come to class with no materials.”
But from a nervous start, she was able to learn enough English in three months to make attending school easier. And within six months, she was speaking the language fluently. Now, three years later, she speaks almost flawlessly, to the point that one might assume she’s been speaking it her entire life. And she just completed high school at 16, all while taking International Baccalaureate courses.
Arman said the transition into her new home was made easier by the help teachers and her counselor were able to give her. That, she said, will be one of the things she’ll miss about Gateway.
The next step in Arman’s journey will take her to University of Colorado Denver, where she will study biology. She is set to follow in her father’s footsteps and plans to go to medical school and specialize in heart surgery.
“My dad is a doctor, too, so since when I was little, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,” Arman said. “And I’m just interested in the heart. I want to be able to help people. It feels so good to help people and I think that’s just it.”
Arman said, while she misses her family and the community she was a part of in Afghanistan, she is glad to be in Aurora, and looks forward to starting her college career.