(HILLSBORO) — At just six and nine years old, Minna and Yabnat Mekonnen have already experienced a journey many never will.

The sisters immigrated to Hillsboro from Ethiopia in March 2024 — stepping into a world full of unfamiliar faces, a different culture and an entirely new language.

Admittedly, their first few days at Jackson Elementary School were a little overwhelming.

“I was so scared,” said Yabnat, now a third grader at Jackson Elementary School. “It was so awkward and I didn’t even know anybody.”

But she quickly found a classmate who helped her navigate those initial uncertain days, translating when needed and opening the door to new friendships.

Now, it’s hard to tell they ever felt like strangers.

“We like to play with our friend and we like to talk a lot,” said Minna Mekonnen, who’s in first grade. “Everyone’s really nice here. We’re almost friends with everyone in our class.”

Before arriving in the United States, neither girl spoke a word of English. They spoke only Amharic at home, which made learning a new language difficult.

Reading, listening, pronunciation — all of it was a challenge. Minna Mekonnen said the hardest part was deciphering tricky words. For Yabnat Mekonnen, understanding others in conversation was the biggest hurdle.

However, a significant part of their progress has come from working with their English Language Development teacher, Pamela Stevens, who has been with them since the beginning.

“Now they are so talkative in English. It’s amazing,” Stevens said.

In the early days, Stevens used Google Translate to communicate with the girls. Using the Google program to translate between Amharic and English helped bridge the language gap. It worked, though not always perfectly.

A year later, both girls are writing in English, and reading has evolved into a favorite hobby, with favorites including “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Junie B. Jones.”

Their progress hasn’t come just from school. Their father, Tefera Mengistie, has been by their side every step of the way. He helps with homework, encouraging their curiosity and learning right alongside them.

“They are now even correcting my pronunciation,” said Mengistie, who has lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade. “They’ll say, ‘That’s not the right way to say it.’ Now they’re teaching me — and I like that. I want them to be confident.”

While Minna and Yabnat Mekonnen are thriving in their new environment, their family hasn’t left their culture behind.

“We have an Ethiopian community group and a Sunday school,” Mengistie said. “We engage them to speak the language, to write the letters. We practice at home, and we gather every other week, so they are still connected to their culture.”

Mengistie said holding onto that heritage not only helps them communicate with family in Ethiopia, but it’s also vital in helping his daughters build bridges between cultures.

“I’m trying to teach them to be good citizens, helping other people from every direction of human life,” he said.

Even though the sisters were learning their first words in English just a year ago, they’re already chasing big dreams — Minna Mekonnen has her sights set on science, while Yabnat Mekonnen hopes to explore the stars as an astronaut.

“I always tell them to follow their passions,” Mengistie said. “In our culture, people always say be a doctor, be an engineer. But whatever they want to do, if they use the opportunity to grow, to be a person who helps their community — they’ll be successful.”

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Community: Hillsboro

Why they are Amazing Kids: These Jackson School Elementary students have had to learn a whole new way of life since immigrating from Ethiopia, and they’re already dreaming big.

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