By Irina Vakulenko,

“I felt good on the first day of school because everyone was nice to me… but sometimes I miss my country.” —So Yang Kim, 14, attends Beverly Vista School. She came here from Korea about two years ago.

Nazila Farzan, 13, who came from Iran almost two years ago, said people sometimes teased her, saying “You don’t understand anything.”

“Life in America is easier than in Iran and people in the U.S. have freedom, especially girls.”
—Ghazale Kahen, 13, a Beverly Vista student from Iran, aspires to become a doctor.

“[The first day] was a big mess… You don’t know anybody and over here and no one comes up to you, like to offer help. It takes a while here to make friends.”
—Vivek Patel, 17, of Torrance HS, came from India about two years ago.