When Barite Gutama got up to give the valedictory speech at Minneapolis' Roosevelt High School recently, she made a point of mentioning several mentors and programs that helped her become the school's top student.
What was so remarkable that Mayor R.T. Rybak took to Twitter to congratulate Gutama, however, was that just two years before graduation, Gutama immigrated from Ethiopia and spoke little English.
In those two short years, Gutama has assembled a stunning record of both academic achievement and service to the community, which she says is a way of giving back to her new country.
Yet, when I contacted Gutama to write a story about her, she hesitated, and only agreed to an interview if I promised to let her praise a long list of people she credits with her success, and her school.
"Please, can you not ask me personal questions, because there are so many people who helped me, and I would not be here if I did not get so much help," she said.
In her speech, Gutama compared her journey to that of an ant she had recently observed. The ant started to dig a hole. Soon, hundreds of ants arrived, and helped dig the hole.
"When I came to the U.S. two years ago, I was thirsty for education," Gutama said in her speech. "However, seeking that education was not easy for me in a new country. My first three months at RHS were difficult. My ambition was to attend college and pursue medical school, but I didn't know how and where to start. Just like that little ant, I was lost. But I was not alone."
Her fellow students at Roosevelt accepted her immediately, she said. "They never bullied me because of my accent," Gutama said. "They just wanted to know me as a new student, rather than make fun of me."
