1 00:00:00,819 --> 00:00:06,412 Success paths of young immigrants in higher education and the professional world. 2 00:00:10,493 --> 00:00:13,044 Born in Barcelona in a Moroccan family 3 00:00:13,045 --> 00:00:16,726 She is in her third year of Arabic 4 00:00:17,454 --> 00:00:19,188 Hello, my name Samyaa. 5 00:00:19,189 --> 00:00:22,421 My parents are from Morocco and I was born here. 6 00:00:22,422 --> 00:00:24,910 My life begins then... 7 00:00:24,911 --> 00:00:26,923 Well, my life, my parents. 8 00:00:26,924 --> 00:00:32,845 My father came here from Morocco about 39, 40 years ago. 9 00:00:32,852 --> 00:00:34,462 He came to work. 10 00:00:34,463 --> 00:00:40,370 And he was alone here for two or three years, working 11 00:00:40,371 --> 00:00:42,691 and my mother was in Morocco. So when he saved 12 00:00:42,692 --> 00:00:45,085 some money, in quotes, he returned to Morocco 13 00:00:45,086 --> 00:00:48,432 and married my mother. They married and came to Barcelona. 14 00:00:48,439 --> 00:00:52,165 And then I was born. I always say that I was engendered there, 15 00:00:52,166 --> 00:00:54,266 Because it was arriving and giving birth. 16 00:00:56,073 --> 00:00:58,927 I remember the school in a very positive note, 17 00:00:58,932 --> 00:01:02,497 First because I was the only immigrant in the whole school. 18 00:01:02,498 --> 00:01:05,837 I was the first one considered immigrant, even though I wasn't really. 19 00:01:05,845 --> 00:01:09,230 I was Samyaa from Morocco. It wasn't like nowadays that they call you immigrant. 20 00:01:09,231 --> 00:01:13,606 I don't remember this word... at the time. 21 00:01:13,607 --> 00:01:19,010 Well, I passed the EGB [primary education] because they only looked at the mean of my marks. 22 00:01:19,011 --> 00:01:24,567 And I left there. I remember my tutor told me to make a FP [vocational education]. 23 00:01:24,568 --> 00:01:26,963 But as I was telling you, we were so few in class 24 00:01:26,964 --> 00:01:32,541 that everyone would do BUP [high school] and well, everyone went to Balmes. 25 00:01:32,542 --> 00:01:36,759 So I couldn't not go there because, of course, I wanted to continue with my schoolmates 26 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,219 They weren't only my schoolmates but also my friends. And I went to Balmes. 27 00:01:41,220 --> 00:01:43,495 And it was a disaster... 28 00:01:43,496 --> 00:01:46,021 At first year BUP... 29 00:01:46,023 --> 00:01:47,952 Now it's called Batxillerat. 30 00:01:47,953 --> 00:01:51,989 I had to stop, for example, to do things I had at school. 31 00:01:51,990 --> 00:01:54,448 First, this closeness with the teachers, because there 32 00:01:54,449 --> 00:01:56,629 you really were just another person. That's it. 33 00:01:56,643 --> 00:01:58,832 You were just a surname, and I remember I was called Bouras, 34 00:01:58,857 --> 00:02:01,558 I hated it, because I thought "I have a name", you know. 35 00:02:01,559 --> 00:02:07,266 I came to BUP and repeated first year. I passed. 36 00:02:07,267 --> 00:02:11,792 I failed math, as always. Math and physics and chemistry and all of these as well. 37 00:02:11,793 --> 00:02:14,094 Repeated second year. 38 00:02:14,095 --> 00:02:17,126 Well, I did second year; Repeated second year, and the same... 39 00:02:17,127 --> 00:02:20,967 I saw that studying there... I wasn't going to get my degree. 40 00:02:21,736 --> 00:02:25,873 Basketball 41 00:02:26,281 --> 00:02:29,689 It has given me stability. Stability also for... 42 00:02:29,690 --> 00:02:34,268 As a person, and responsibility, because you had to go to the training sessions. 43 00:02:34,275 --> 00:02:39,387 When I started at the Escolapis [religious private school], if you showed up at training you played. 44 00:02:39,394 --> 00:02:42,006 If you did a good workout you played even more. 45 00:02:42,007 --> 00:02:45,417 It was this little competitiveness. But more than that... it was personal. 46 00:02:45,430 --> 00:02:48,177 Because you played anyway. But you knew that if you played more 47 00:02:48,178 --> 00:02:51,182 it was because you had done a good training or had gone to the training session 48 00:02:51,183 --> 00:02:53,681 so it completely made it up for you. 49 00:02:53,682 --> 00:02:55,838 I remember having a Saturday morning match and 50 00:02:55,839 --> 00:03:00,471 on Friday at high school they told you "let's hang out, whatever." 51 00:03:00,473 --> 00:03:02,651 And me saying "no, no, I have a match tomorrow." 52 00:03:02,652 --> 00:03:05,499 And besides, my parents wouldn't let me hang out because... 53 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:08,365 My father wouldn't let me go party. 54 00:03:08,366 --> 00:03:11,284 But well, I also made me think "no, no, I have a match" 55 00:03:11,285 --> 00:03:13,783 so with my basketball girlfriends, we did other things. 56 00:03:13,784 --> 00:03:17,590 We went to the cinema or went for a walk or a movie... 57 00:03:17,591 --> 00:03:20,812 Something different so it wasn't... to be able to play the next day. 58 00:03:21,629 --> 00:03:24,372 Work / Study 59 00:03:24,456 --> 00:03:26,050 I worked as an instructor. 60 00:03:26,051 --> 00:03:28,215 Which was a lot of fun, because I was at the school I had spent my whole life in. 61 00:03:28,216 --> 00:03:31,987 I went there. I worked in summer camps. Walked the children to basketball. 62 00:03:31,995 --> 00:03:36,459 All I had experienced as a child... I was the one in charge now. I loved it. 63 00:03:36,460 --> 00:03:38,770 At that time I didn't know what to do. 64 00:03:38,786 --> 00:03:42,243 I knew I wanted to continue studying or wanted to study, but did not know where. 65 00:03:42,244 --> 00:03:44,677 I went to Ensenyament to get information [ministry of the Generalitat]. 66 00:03:44,678 --> 00:03:48,363 And there they told me to go to... They gave me information. 67 00:03:48,370 --> 00:03:51,741 I discovered the entrance examination to the "mòdul de la superior" [course, untranslatable]. 68 00:03:51,742 --> 00:03:55,844 And I passed it, which opened the door to 69 00:03:55,845 --> 00:03:58,426 first, I liked studying, but what did I like? 70 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,606 I liked to study what I really liked, and that was it. 71 00:04:01,607 --> 00:04:08,672 And then I did the tourist animation module, and I loved it. 72 00:04:08,673 --> 00:04:11,991 I think it was the year 27-28 73 00:04:11,992 --> 00:04:14,702 I joined the university. 2007-2008. 74 00:04:14,707 --> 00:04:17,948 I went to the University to study Arabic, Arabic philology, 75 00:04:17,987 --> 00:04:22,173 To see if, with the degree, it opened more doors for me. And it's true, it opens more doors. 76 00:04:22,174 --> 00:04:26,297 But the Bologna plan came and the Bologna plan pushed me... 77 00:04:26,298 --> 00:04:29,656 It pushed everything back. It ment a year on the mornings and a year on the afternoons... 78 00:04:29,657 --> 00:04:32,612 Specially the specific classes. I said "I can't spend 79 00:04:32,613 --> 00:04:35,472 a year taking specific and the following year..." 80 00:04:35,473 --> 00:04:38,413 Okay, I can just take the shared classes, but that would feel like forever to me. 81 00:04:38,414 --> 00:04:41,077 And besides, the shared classes were perhaps two afternoons 82 00:04:41,078 --> 00:04:43,428 and I can't leave my morning job. 83 00:04:43,429 --> 00:04:47,343 Following that said "you know what? I will give the 'escola oficial' [public language school] a try." 84 00:04:47,344 --> 00:04:50,223 They teach the language as it is. 85 00:04:50,231 --> 00:04:53,737 I also liked it more than the degree, because the degree had a lot of stuffing. 86 00:04:53,738 --> 00:04:56,693 And now I'm in third year. And besides being Arabic people say 87 00:04:56,694 --> 00:04:59,374 "ah, but you know Arabic" and I say "no, I am Moroccan." 88 00:04:59,375 --> 00:05:03,504 And now it's cool because I'm learning real Arabic, which 89 00:05:03,506 --> 00:05:05,420 allows me to communicate with... 90 00:05:05,421 --> 00:05:08,145 When I was here in the Raval center where I also volunteered 91 00:05:08,146 --> 00:05:10,490 I taught children there and so on 92 00:05:10,501 --> 00:05:14,618 I spoke to Egyptians... To an Egyptian mother 93 00:05:14,624 --> 00:05:19,639 and it was surreal because it was my first... My first exchange of Arabic 94 00:05:19,653 --> 00:05:23,297 and I understood her and she understood me and it's... It's so exciting. 95 00:05:23,872 --> 00:05:25,952 What can you say about your friends? 96 00:05:25,984 --> 00:05:29,737 My friends are 100% Catalan, as I always say. 97 00:05:29,738 --> 00:05:34,534 I have lived in the Eixample all life, so it doesn't... 98 00:05:34,535 --> 00:05:37,558 I have no friends from Morocco. 99 00:05:37,559 --> 00:05:41,573 But they have given me so much. 100 00:05:41,578 --> 00:05:45,591 I remember in school at the time we only spoke Spanish. 101 00:05:45,592 --> 00:05:47,501 So I my language was Spanish. 102 00:05:47,502 --> 00:05:50,929 And when I started playing basketball at the Escola Pia, in BUP [high school] 103 00:05:50,930 --> 00:05:56,354 high school now, and... it was 104 00:05:56,355 --> 00:06:01,362 100% Catalan, and it was "whether I speak Catalan or or I become autistic" because 105 00:06:01,363 --> 00:06:03,210 people I spoke to me in Catalan. 106 00:06:03,211 --> 00:06:06,363 And you had to answer in Catalan. Or at least I wanted to answer in Catalan. 107 00:06:07,750 --> 00:06:10,296 What did you miss? 108 00:06:10,383 --> 00:06:14,363 I would've appreciated at the time that someone, as a child, could have given me some guidance 109 00:06:14,364 --> 00:06:16,529 or could have been a bit at my side. 110 00:06:16,530 --> 00:06:19,815 Today parents can do that, because I also think that if someday I have children 111 00:06:19,817 --> 00:06:23,939 I will help them. But because I have the tools, I have the knowledge and so on. 112 00:06:23,940 --> 00:06:27,860 It's not like my parents have no knowledge but they come from another country 113 00:06:27,861 --> 00:06:32,502 without having the same social structure or the same sort of children education or anything. 114 00:06:33,535 --> 00:06:36,152 What would you say to today's children? 115 00:06:36,177 --> 00:06:40,141 First, you must try. If you really can't do it 116 00:06:40,142 --> 00:06:45,224 there are other solutions, there are other doors. Ask, seek, don't... 117 00:06:45,225 --> 00:06:48,233 Don't say "I can't, I can't" and that's it, and stay home. 118 00:06:48,234 --> 00:06:51,027 Appreciate all you have. See if your parents are 119 00:06:51,028 --> 00:06:54,059 fighting for you. Because all parents fight for their children. 120 00:06:54,060 --> 00:06:57,484 See if you have some tools around. 121 00:06:57,485 --> 00:07:01,746 Because I don't think any teacher will set you aside if you say you can't. 122 00:07:01,757 --> 00:07:08,525 To find a solution. Don't sit on the "I can't" and stay home. 123 00:07:08,544 --> 00:07:14,821 And really, it's for the family. It is very... 124 00:07:14,822 --> 00:07:17,614 very hard, but I think that so it is for you. 125 00:07:17,615 --> 00:07:21,596 Because saying "I can't" is easy. But it's you who stays at home. 126 00:07:21,597 --> 00:07:24,869 So... you must find a way out. 127 00:07:24,870 --> 00:07:28,047 Occupationally, personally... You've got to find yourself. 128 00:07:28,048 --> 00:07:31,151 And if you think that studying, studying ESO, High School 129 00:07:31,152 --> 00:07:33,836 or whatever you are doing, if you can't find it 130 00:07:33,842 --> 00:07:37,523 there's a thousand other options, thankfully now. 131 00:07:37,524 --> 00:07:41,174 If you have a [PQPQui] of those, you have "graus mitjans" [untranslatable], 132 00:07:41,175 --> 00:07:43,982 you have "graus de superior" [untranslatable]... 133 00:07:43,983 --> 00:07:47,652 You have a lot of things. So take advantage of them. 134 00:07:48,530 --> 00:07:52,717 It's never too late.