Remarkable Seniors: Most of her life a refugee, Englewood High grad plans for ... - Florida Times

Sa Nay Ma, a graduating senior from Englewood High, spent much of her young life as a refugee.

As a child in Burma (now Myanmar), she was raised by a farmer and a homemaker who were persecuted for being of Karen ethnicity.

Burma's government and military for several decades have persecuted the country's various ethnic groups, including the Karen peoples, sometimes enslaving, raping, killing and torturing them and destroying villages and farms, according to accounts. Some Karen, led by the Karen National Union, have fought against the central Burmese government since 1949.

Sa Nay Ma remembers little of her childhood there. Soldiers in the troubled country would often force her father to leave his farm and do hard labor for them without pay, she said. Sometimes when there was fighting, families would run from the village and sleep and hide in forests, said her mother, Htah Kon. (Burmese do not use surnames typical of Western names.)

Eventually her family fled with many others to Thailand, where they lived more than nine years in a refugee camp. There the small, bamboo homes had running water but little or no electricity; they mostly used candles.

Her father would leave the family for months at a time to work in farms far outside of the camp.

Sa Nay Ma went to a school with few resources but many children, speaking a variety of languages and dialects.

When her family got the chance, it emigrated to the United States and settled in Jacksonville, where Sa Nay Ma entered Englewood at age 15.

She said she spoke and understood almost no English and was petrified around her classmates. She believes many thought she was mean.

"But I'm not mean; I'm really nice," she said. Eventually, she made a few friends, mostly other Southeast Asian immigrants.

With help from teachers, translators and Lutheran Social Services, she learned English and, in less than three years, passed Florida's FCAT reading exam, a requirement for graduation, earning a level 4 out of 5 possible achievement levels.

Sa Nay Ma said math has always been easiest for her, but every other subject was a struggle for her to comprehend. She still does not feel fluent in English.

Her family's struggles continued. Sa Nay Ma's father died in a car accident in 2012 coming home from a late shift at a factory. Now the family is mourning and in financial straits. Her oldest sister, 22, supports them by working in a poultry packing plant.

Her mother's health is failing.

Sa Nay Ma daily cooks and cares for her three younger siblings, chauffeuring family members to schools and elsewhere in the family's van. She also helps them with homework.

"I have a lot of jobs,' she said.

Often when she was small, Sa Nay Ma's mother would ask her what she wants to study after high school. Graduation and college are mandatory, though her mother never went to a school.

Lindsey Romyanond, a specialist at Englewood High's newcomer program, said Sa Nay Ma's mother often called the school and, through a bilingual staffer, made sure her children were there and doing well.

"In her family ... it was never a question of if Sa Nay Ma would graduate," Romyanond said. "There is no doubt that Sa Nay Ma will reach her goal and fulfill her dream and the dream of her parents."

Sa Nay Ma will attend Florida State College Jacksonville next fall and continue to live at home. She hopes to become a teacher and to travel the country, helping immigrant children, she said.

In the meantime, she'll also try to find a part-time job, to help support her family, she said.

OTHER REMARKABLE SENIORS CAMEO ISELBORN

As a freshman at Mandarin High, Cameo Iselborn asked Linda Smith, a guidance counselor, what things she would need to do in high school to get into the state's most competitive universities. She spent the next four years asking versions of the same question and taking the most academically rigorous courses her schedule would allow.

She maintained a 4.2 GPA, Smith said.

"She is one of my few successful students whose parents do not contact me, but rather let her handle all the work," Smith said.

Smith found out why later, as they worked on college applications together.

Cameo's mom suffers from multiple sclerosis, which requires a lot of family time and energy. Meanwhile, Cameo's been pursuing health and science in high school.

She attended the school's medical academy all four years and is president of the school's Health Occupations Students of America group. She started the school's now annual "Kick it for Cancer" fund raiser and inspires her peers to expand their volunteer efforts.

"Cameo is a transformer and will accomplish things that no one else is even dreaming of," Smith said.

SYLTAVIUS BENJAMIN KELLEY

Syltavius Benjamin Kelley, a graduate of Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology, has suffered from sickle cell anemia throughout his life. Just staying healthy enough to attend school each day was a challenge, and vision problems were one of many of the painful disease's side effects.

Syltavius had to wear sunglasses at all times.

He "made wearing them as a fashion statement rather than a problem," said Joyce Lynn, a school guidance counselor. "He has always been a cheerful student, ready to smile when you look his way."

He underwent eye surgery and multiple hospital stays after sickle cell episodes in his senior year but maintained above-average grades.

KENISA WARREN

Kenisa Warren came to St. Johns Technical High at an eighth-grade level, behind her peers, said Richard Church, guidance counselor at the St. Johns County school.

Through hard work and perseverance she kept her grades consistently above average and caught up, graduating with her class on time.

Participation in the ROTC program also has built her confidence and her focus on academics, he said.

"We have watched Kenisa develop both academically and personally into a mature individual, ready in every way for the military," he said. "She really put it in gear."

ANTOINETTE, ANTOINE WILLIAMS

Antoinette and Antoine Williams are rarely separated. The twins are graduating together from Pedro Menendez High in St. Johns County, despite behavioral, emotional and academic challenges.

"They've been a packaged deal since birth and that hasn't change in the last 17 years," said Heidi Deaton, a school guidance counselor who also taught them.

They lost their father before they were born; their mother died when they were 5. They were raised by an aunt and uncle.

Antoine struggled through middle school and the beginning of high school and was placed in intensive classes.

"You could just tell that he didn't enjoy being in the classroom," Deaton said. "I have seen him struggle to maintain grades and he would always say to me, 'Mrs Deaton, I'm going to get it; I'm going to do it.'"

He did, passing the FCAT and achieving passing scores on the ACT, she said.

"I have seen this unruly boy turn into a very sweet and compassionate young man," she said.

Similarly Antoinette has struggled and succeeded in balancing emotional issues and academics, Deaton said.

Both siblings were voted class clowns by their peers this year. They are planning to attend Tallahassee Community College, where Antoine plans to study performing arts. He wants to become an actor. Antoinette plans to become a pharmacist.

Denise Amos: (904) 359-4083

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