Abdiweli Abdow walks down the hall, giving students high-fives and talking with some of the young boys. Abdow came to America as a Kenyan refugee 18 years ago and now works as the dean of students at the Utah International Charter School. 

The kids relate to him because he’s been where they are; in a new country, trying to learn a new language, understand social and cultural norms, and get an education. 

“You get some kids that got here a week ago with no knowledge, and I try to help them out in many ways,” he said. “Their biggest challenge is the language. They do have some peers who speak the same language and they build those friendships. They want to be able to learn English.”

Utah International Charter School recently moved into a new location, leasing the former Millcreek Elementary School at 3761 S. 1100 East. This is the school’s 11th year of providing immigrant, refugee and American-born students a rigorous secondary education while honoring each person’s culture, identity and heritage. 

The school has roughly 250 students in grades six-12, representing 30 countries and speaking dozens of languages. Many teens are considered Students with Interrupted Formal Education which means they might never have attended school because of war or their education was suspended for other reasons.

Usha Narra is the school’s principal but has also taught math and physics. She said students at UICS have a high success rate due to the education model emphasizing inclusion while teaching every subject in English. 

“If I’m the math teacher, I’m also supporting them with their English acquisition, so all teachers are trained in integrating the English language into their classes,” Narra said. “For example, if the math teacher is teaching how to solve equations, they also integrate an explanation piece into it, or the teaching of vocabulary explicitly.”

Narra said when refugee or immigrant students attend large public schools, they often get lost in the shuffle and their education suffers because they don’t speak English. Then they are put into ESL classes, which don’t count toward high school graduation. At UICS, they learn English in every class and graduate with language, leadership and critical thinking skills. 

The school has a robust after-school program that allows students to be involved in clubs and sports. One teacher is starting a volleyball league to provide refugee girls an opportunity to play team sports. 

Kabali Kangeta, 17, has attended the school since seventh grade and plays on the Cottonwood High School soccer team. Immigrating from Tanzania in 2016, Kabali’s native language is Swahili but he is proficient in English. He will graduate this spring and hopes to play soccer for Utah Valley University.

“It was really hard learning English especially when I’d go to 7-Eleven and I don’t even know what to say, I’m just pointing at what I want,” Kabali said. “But when I came to this school, people were speaking the same language as me. This school just offers peace, to be honest.”

Wanda Gayle is one of the school’s founding members and serves on the board of trustees. She said students come from all over the Salt Lake Valley, often traveling long distances. Gayle said the education model gives students four factors to increase the likelihood of success: a small school setting, strong relationships between teachers and students, mixed-ability classes and teacher collaboration.

“Every year we have students that get full scholarships to the University of Utah or Westminster University,” Gayle said. “We have a high success rate. Part of our educational model is our proficient English learners get matched up with a kid just coming in.”

All seniors work with the school counselor to apply for scholarships and college admission and fill out federal student aid forms. Narra ensures the support system is in place to help each student reach their academic, personal and career goals. 

“Just because making content accessible doesn’t mean we’re dumbing it down,” she said. “We still need to meet state requirements. So they’re learning all the same content they would in a regular school, but it’s very structured…Our seniors always come back. I’m aware of a student who got her nursing degree, she’s just brilliant, and decided she was going to be on our governing board…Every year we have a senior panel where at least 10 of them come back and share their experiences. We love them.”

For information about UICS, visit
UtahInternational.org. λ