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By The Editorial Board
The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.
Monica-Grace Mukendi has two vivid memories from her first year in the United States. She remembers blowing out candles on her sixth birthday, the first that she celebrated in New York after emigrating from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She also remembers crying in class because she couldn’t express herself in English.
With help from her family, Monica-Grace learned quickly. Her cousin quizzed her using English flashcards on the subway to her school in East Harlem, and her uncle took her and her brothers to the library on weekends. Her English skills improved so quickly that her teacher moved her to an honors class.
She continued to thrive over the years and packed her high school schedule with extracurriculars. She was a stage manager and a member of the poetry club. She learned how to code on weekends. Her activities were those of a typical ambitious, college-bound teenager. Yet as an immigrant, Ms. Mukendi wasn’t sure how to apply to college or decide what to study. “I didn’t have that........