1 00:00:01,019 --> 00:00:06,256 Success paths of young immigrants in higher education and the professional world. 2 00:00:07,287 --> 00:00:10,973 Hello, my name is Mohamed. I was born in Morocco 3 00:00:10,974 --> 00:00:15,902 in a small village near Larache. The village is called [Migorfet] 4 00:00:15,903 --> 00:00:19,566 and I arrived in Spain when I was 3 years old. 5 00:00:19,567 --> 00:00:22,991 We came directly, as family reunion [as for Spanish Law], to here in Mataró. 6 00:00:22,992 --> 00:00:27,046 My father had spent many years living and working here. 7 00:00:27,047 --> 00:00:31,665 And since then, when I was about 4 I began to go to school 8 00:00:31,673 --> 00:00:35,379 close by, where there's a a school called Peramàs 9 00:00:35,404 --> 00:00:41,462 I was lucky to come at a very early age. 10 00:00:41,468 --> 00:00:44,454 But the first year, that was the first year of school 11 00:00:44,455 --> 00:00:49,601 I do remember having difficulties understanding my schoolmates. 12 00:00:49,602 --> 00:00:52,623 I had... I ​​didn't speak the language very well. 13 00:00:52,631 --> 00:00:56,182 I felt many times that I had this difficulty. 14 00:00:56,183 --> 00:01:00,539 And so... Although I did not have much difficulty 15 00:01:00,540 --> 00:01:02,653 I did notice a bit that barrier. 16 00:01:02,654 --> 00:01:06,218 I had a rocky start at primary school. 17 00:01:06,219 --> 00:01:08,541 I didn't value studying very much. 18 00:01:08,542 --> 00:01:12,801 A student rather chaotic, quite hyperactive. 19 00:01:12,802 --> 00:01:18,670 I wasn't paying attention. I didn't value my studies all that much. 20 00:01:18,671 --> 00:01:23,267 More than anything because I had no point of reference. It was something new for me. 21 00:01:23,268 --> 00:01:26,519 Also it was difficult for my parents, because they had just arrived as well. 22 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:28,994 Especially my mother. My father studied in Morocco 23 00:01:29,005 --> 00:01:35,419 but he didn't know much about Catalan education, nor, 24 00:01:35,420 --> 00:01:38,366 I guess because of... They also had difficulties 25 00:01:38,367 --> 00:01:43,877 to adapt to a new city, a new culture, a new language 26 00:01:43,878 --> 00:01:47,914 and so I imagine we have also have suffered for it a bit. 27 00:01:47,937 --> 00:01:51,697 I have always lived in Mataró. Now for a couple of years 28 00:01:51,698 --> 00:01:54,896 I live in Barcelona, ​​but since I was little, since we got here 29 00:01:54,897 --> 00:01:57,520 we have always lived in Mataró and... 30 00:01:57,521 --> 00:02:00,052 Perhaps since we arrived, when I was 3, so far 31 00:02:00,053 --> 00:02:02,854 perhaps we have moved three or four times 32 00:02:02,887 --> 00:02:06,170 but it has always been within the same neighborhood and has always been here in Mataró. 33 00:02:06,530 --> 00:02:09,876 When I was little I did feel strongly the issue of being a foreigner, 34 00:02:09,877 --> 00:02:12,918 especially because of my schoolmates who... 35 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:17,908 When you're very young nobody wants to feel different, and feeling different 36 00:02:17,916 --> 00:02:23,509 creates certain inconveniences and make certain conflicts arise 37 00:02:23,515 --> 00:02:27,967 by this fact. Above all, I remember that time, 38 00:02:27,968 --> 00:02:33,568 when my mother came to pick me up, and... My mother wore the veil 39 00:02:33,569 --> 00:02:37,177 and when he came to pick me up I was very tense, 40 00:02:37,178 --> 00:02:40,618 for what my schoolmates would ask me. "How will I explain 41 00:02:40,619 --> 00:02:42,650 why my mother wears the veil?". 42 00:02:42,651 --> 00:02:48,178 That did create a little stress in me, a little confusion. 43 00:02:48,180 --> 00:02:53,082 It wasn't until the ESO [high school equivalent] that I took it a bit more seriously. 44 00:02:53,083 --> 00:02:57,371 It was also a bid for my parents, who believed in me 45 00:02:57,372 --> 00:03:00,608 who had confidence in that I would be a good student 46 00:03:00,609 --> 00:03:04,504 And also I also was lucky to find good tutors 47 00:03:04,505 --> 00:03:07,753 and good teachers who took a gamble and helped me turn towards 48 00:03:07,754 --> 00:03:11,030 my way, towards my future. 49 00:03:11,529 --> 00:03:13,324 [Núria was Mohamed's high school tutor] 50 00:03:13,350 --> 00:03:15,170 How, how are you? 51 00:03:15,190 --> 00:03:16,696 [Inaudible] 52 00:03:16,734 --> 00:03:18,704 How's life? 53 00:03:18,763 --> 00:03:24,054 [Inaudible] 54 00:03:25,570 --> 00:03:30,460 Mohamed: I was between 13 and 14 at the time. 55 00:03:30,498 --> 00:03:32,650 Núria: When I met you? Mohamed: Yes, yes. 56 00:03:32,651 --> 00:03:35,452 Mohamed: The first time you were my tutor. Núria: The first time I was your tutor. 57 00:03:35,468 --> 00:03:38,239 Núria: I was you tutor at 3rd of ESO 58 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,065 4th of ESO, and the 1st and 2nd years of [post compulsory] High School. 59 00:03:42,066 --> 00:03:46,334 Núria: So it was... Muhammad: The most important years. Núria: The most important years, yes. 60 00:03:46,335 --> 00:03:50,429 Mohamed: Now, when I think about it, when you recall it... 61 00:03:50,430 --> 00:03:54,650 When I sat here in the classroom, how little importance we place on this. 62 00:03:54,651 --> 00:03:57,471 The ESO, the High School, when you're here studying. 63 00:03:57,472 --> 00:04:00,943 You don't realize how important this will be for your future 64 00:04:00,944 --> 00:04:04,436 and for me this was a key time, this time of... 65 00:04:04,437 --> 00:04:07,270 Núria: You don't realize how important it will be. 66 00:04:07,271 --> 00:04:11,338 But you do realize how important it at the time 67 00:04:11,339 --> 00:04:14,904 to do the job, to do a good job. 68 00:04:14,905 --> 00:04:21,093 Collaborate. The teacher always tries 69 00:04:21,094 --> 00:04:24,645 to make everyone understand how important that is 70 00:04:24,646 --> 00:04:29,209 But not everyone sees it. But if at least, the student does the work 71 00:04:29,210 --> 00:04:32,997 he has to do, he grows up, and as he gets older 72 00:04:32,998 --> 00:04:37,663 he then realizes, how important it is since his first day here. 73 00:04:37,664 --> 00:04:44,260 I trying to know what you were doing, what you liked 74 00:04:44,261 --> 00:04:48,973 because if you don't get inside the life 75 00:04:48,974 --> 00:04:51,783 of the person in front of you 76 00:04:51,784 --> 00:04:57,439 you can hardly, not just give advice, 77 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,301 but to say "well, look, here are several paths." 78 00:05:01,322 --> 00:05:05,207 "Look, this, this, this other one. Which one would you like to take?" 79 00:05:14,935 --> 00:05:18,682 Since I was little, I think that until I went to college, 80 00:05:18,683 --> 00:05:23,053 I placed to importance on my origins... 81 00:05:23,054 --> 00:05:26,863 from Morocco. I just saw it as a quirk. 82 00:05:26,864 --> 00:05:30,953 But now I see it as an advantage, being a foreigner. 83 00:05:30,954 --> 00:05:34,955 Mostly because Morocco is a country I like. 84 00:05:34,962 --> 00:05:39,261 Their culture... The more I discover the more I like it. 85 00:05:39,262 --> 00:05:44,178 And you always feel the need to immerse yourself in 86 00:05:44,185 --> 00:05:47,115 what you had as a child. The language, the aromas, 87 00:05:47,116 --> 00:05:49,223 the writing, the culture. 88 00:05:49,224 --> 00:05:53,913 When you grow older, you start looking for all these things again. 89 00:05:53,914 --> 00:06:00,698 Then, there comes a time... I've been raised here and I like local culture 90 00:06:00,703 --> 00:06:04,875 but, at the same time, you like the other culture, and you want to have them both: 91 00:06:04,876 --> 00:06:08,234 The one from where you grew up and the one from your parents. 92 00:06:08,235 --> 00:06:11,356 [If you were a child again, what would you change?] What I would do differently is maybe to try to not be embarrassed 93 00:06:11,362 --> 00:06:15,328 by the fact that my mother wore the veil. 94 00:06:15,329 --> 00:06:20,333 It's just silly, but at the time, the feeling was much more powerful. 95 00:06:20,334 --> 00:06:25,051 And maybe, what I may have done would be 96 00:06:25,052 --> 00:06:28,444 to take my studies even more seriously, which at the time 97 00:06:28,452 --> 00:06:33,522 you were not very aware of what you were doing, and also that 98 00:06:33,523 --> 00:06:39,270 every step and every school year was a step forward and to the future. 99 00:06:39,653 --> 00:06:42,427 What message would you want to send? 100 00:06:42,616 --> 00:06:47,679 Early on we start building our idea of ​​what kind of person we want to be when we grow up, 101 00:06:47,712 --> 00:06:51,664 or what kind of profession we want to have. I didn't always want to be a doctor. 102 00:06:51,665 --> 00:06:56,708 I've had many ideas, but the last one... Already in high school, I knew that... 103 00:06:56,709 --> 00:07:00,301 I know that I'd like being a doctor very much and I want to tell everyone that 104 00:07:00,308 --> 00:07:05,736 no matter what dream you have and no matter what you do or what you want to be 105 00:07:05,737 --> 00:07:10,168 what you need to do is persevere in this dream. Fight for it. 106 00:07:10,169 --> 00:07:14,675 With whatever means, persevere, and with enthusiasm, even if it's hard. 107 00:07:14,676 --> 00:07:19,397 There is nothing easy in this life. But if you try hard enough 108 00:07:19,398 --> 00:07:24,422 you will always find the opportunities to move forward towards this dream. 109 00:07:24,423 --> 00:07:30,348 What I want to [say] to the students or children who are watching this video 110 00:07:30,349 --> 00:07:34,776 is that to persevere and to fight for a dream, whatever it is, 111 00:07:34,777 --> 00:07:38,252 and finally get it right, this is success. 112 00:07:38,253 --> 00:07:41,484 We don't want to prove anything. We just want to study and end up 113 00:07:41,485 --> 00:07:45,424 working in what we like, and to get up every morning 114 00:07:45,425 --> 00:07:48,768 and go to work with enthusiasm, go to work happy, 115 00:07:48,769 --> 00:07:51,438 and to have the profession that we have chosen. 116 00:07:51,912 --> 00:07:57,481 "I do things because I like because I want to do them and that's it"