Is assimilation worth the struggle? High school is where students are assimilating because for instance, all kids wants to be cool or noticed, nobody wants to considered an outcast. Assimilation is the process of fitting in, but I think people shouldn’t have to try to fit in and be someone they’re not. In my opinion, everyone wants to be someone but they also wants to be themselves.

In elementary school, there was this girl named Marisol, she was new to the school and didn’t know anyone. It was hard for her to adapt because she came from Mexico and didn’t know how to speak English. Marisol struggled to make friends because for one, everyone already has their little group of friends and they don’t accept new people. You will see her in the hallways looking lost and sometimes fascinated. Fascinated because she never been to the United States, so coming to the United States was a big change for her. In the hallways I see loneliness in her eyes. In class she sits in the back of the class by herself because in class everyone are with their friends in a big group when she has no one. In the Voices Data Set, “ In school, I find times where I don’t fit in...it’s frustrating to feel that you are not fully accepted by a certain type of people.” It connects with her because nobody acknowledge her or other people gives her a once over and go by their day. In time there were more people like her than she noticed. Marisol started to realize that she doesn’t need to assimilate with people to be their friends. She rather be with the outcast than not be true to herself. She started to take English classes so she can better herself to be able to speak and understand English.

Now that I think about it, Marisol and I stories connects in some ways because there was a time when I was in middle school I was shy with no voice. I had a hard time adjusting to the new environment as a eighth grader that moved schools in the middle of the year. In the morning I was late to school because my sleeping schedule was so off. When I came to my first period I was the laughing stock of the day because I was wearing some baggy pants, my hair was in a messy bun, and I had badges under my eyes. “Welcome Aaliyah, go take a seat by Lina, Lina raise your hand.” I go take my seat next to this skinny, tanned, curly headed female named Lina. We introduced each other and she showed me what we were doing in class. At lunch I was alone, with no one to hang out with. Everytime I try to hang out with somebody they either say, “Sorry, there's too many people playing.” But there's less than six people playing. They looked at me as if I was ruining their little parade. I had no friends here, I felt alone. Kids here were not inviting so I had to play the role of a class clown to get actual friends. I get detention at least two times a week. I had a lot of absences and I had a lot of friends. But sooner or later all this trouble is affecting my mom. I started to realize I shouldn't be doing all these things to feel accepted by people. If they don't like me for me they aren’t the people I should be hanging out with, because they're affecting me as a person.

Assimilation isn't worth the struggle because at the end of the day, all these people you think is considered your friends will push you over in the real life or they will probably drop you over everything. That's why you have stick to yourself or be surrounded by the people that pushes you to do your best, do what you have to do in order to survive and succeed. Stay true to yourself because there ain't too many people in the world like you.