Stockton- At the young age of seven, Tabitha Emojevbe and her family packed up their life in Lagos, Nigeria, and began the journey to permanently moving to the United States. For a young girl like Emojevbe, this move was challenging and ultimately confusing, but when recounting the journey to the United States, and how it has shaped the person she has become, she explains how lucky she felt to be given the opportunity to a better life. Here at Lincoln High School, our campus is a place full of different cultures and ethnicities, and Tabitha Emojevbe´s story is a reminder of how lucky we are to live in a place rich with diversity.
Even though Emojevbe was a young girl, she recalls some of her memories such as walking to school with her mom or stopping on the side of the road for lunch before heading to school. While her family’s life in Lagos was enjoyable, and her father had a good job that allowed the family to live comfortably, Emojevbe´s parents wanted a better life for their three kids and felt that moving to the United States would provide them with the education, and opportunities for success in the future that they deserved. So, the family of five packed up their belongings, left behind the house where Tabitha and her three siblings grew up, and began the journey to San Jose which would be the families first home once moving to the new country. Emojevbe´s memories from this time are:
“Moving here was really confusing because when it was time to get on the plane and make our way to America, a man who was supposed to meet us at the airport with our tickets did not show, so we ended up not being able to get on our flight, and had to wait multiple days to get new tickets. Fortunately, my dad was able to get these new tickets within a few days of our missed flight, and we ended up arriving in America on Christmas Eve! I remember when my family and I first landed and stepped off the plane we felt the air conditioners blasting which made it extremely cold, something we were not used to. While this may seem unimportant to many, it was new and unfamiliar to my family and I, and it excited us for what our new life was going to be like.”
Once arriving to America, Emojevbe explained how it was hard to become situated due to the fact that her parents struggled to find jobs, and her father had to go back to Nigeria for a year to sort out business, which was hard for her mother as she was the only parent around for her children in a time of uncertainty and unknown. Luckily, Emojevbe´s aunt, uncle, and other family friends had moved to America a couple of years before, so her family was able to stay with each of the different families for extended periods of time as they found their footing in the new country. In the end, even though Emojevbe had a good life in Lagos, she was very grateful for her parents giving her siblings, including herself, the opportunity to change their lives for the better and move to a safer place that would bring them more success in the future.
After hearing the story of Tabitha Emojevbe´s early childhood, it inspired me to learn more about the diversity in our area, specifically, the diversity that we have at our very own Lincoln High School. Tabitha´s story is a testament to how learning about other cultures and life stories can teach you more about others in the world and inspire new connections between people of all types. Commenting on the diversity at Lincoln, and if she thinks encouraging other to learn about different parts of the world, Emojevbe stated:
“I think Lincoln has a very inclusive campus and is one of the most diverse campuses I have ever been to. When I first went to school in San Jose, it was primarily all white children, and me and my siblings were the only black people at the school, which was extremely discouraging for me and my younger brothers. Part of the reason why I like Lincoln is because you meet all types of people who are different in so many ways, and learning about their cultures and the different parts of the world they may have lived in or been to opens people’s eyes to so many new experiences and things that are done differently in other parts of the world. I think this is important because it creates cultural awareness and inspires people to want to learn more about people that are not like them.”
These words of wisdom from Emojevbe herself are evidence to the fact that diversity is necessary, and learning about people from different cultures, ethnicities, and places can build connections between you and this person, and strengthen your knowledge of individuals from all over the world. Through her unique personality and cultural background that sets her apart from others, learning about Emojevbe is a experience that for me personally, has not only given me a new friend, but has taught be about a unique experience of how a person who seems ordinary to everyone she meets, has an amazing backstory that should be shared to anyone who is willing to listen. To speak a little about diversity in schools and the impact that meeting such a diverse individual like Emojevbe has had on them are her friends and classmates, Riley Kirk and Emily Marlowe:
Marlowe: Learning about people from other cultures teaches me about the authenticity of cultures. When I heard about Tabitha´s story I was intrigued and wanted to hear more about where she had come from, and what some of her cultural traditions are. Even though Tabitha is such a great person, Lincoln´s diverse culture has both positive and negative, such as giving people the opportunity to express their cultures, one of these times being at International Night, but the diversity can also be a drawback because people oftentimes are made fun of for their differences, which I think is unacceptable.
Kirk: It is fun to learn about different types of people and places because it helps you develop relationships and find similarities with people you never knew existed. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting Tabitha this year and think that people who are as diverse and culturally unique as Tabitha are beneficial for the diversity on our campus. Ultimately, I think diversity affects schools positively because you will meet different types of people and the mix of different cultures prepares people for the real world and helps them have a better understanding of other people’s lives and struggles.
Ultimately, diversity is a necessity at schools, and being able to shed light on the special story of Tabitha Emojevbe gives people the opportunity to see the impact her story has had on not only myself, but her friends, classmates, and anyone willing to learn about it. Emojevbe´s inspirational story shows people how lucky they are to be living in a country full of opportunity, and how learning about other people’s personal experiences can not only teach you about the world around us, but create appreciation for the country of diversity we are able to live in.
