Four years ago, Ranya Al Obaidi and her family left behind political turmoil in Baghdad, Iraq, and came to Maine.
Unable to speak, read or write English, Obaidi suddenly found herself immersed in an exciting new culture. She was challenged but not the least bit intimidated.
Ranya Al Obaidi, who came to the United States from Iraq four years ago, has distinguished herself in many ways, including as a student representative to the Westbrook City Council. “When they tried to hold me back, I said, ‘Watch me change your mind.’ I don’t like it when people say I can’t do something,” she said.
“It was a whole different world,” Obaidi, 18, recalled. “I couldn’t speak a whole sentence in English. It was very frustrating.”
She spent half of her freshman year at Westbrook High School in classes with other students who were learning to speak English. Feeling isolated and dissatisfied with her progress, she asked to be placed in regular classes so she could meet English-speaking students and learn more quickly. Teachers tried to dissuade her, but she was persistent.
“I knew I needed to be in regular English classes,” Obaidi said. “When they tried to hold me back, I said, ‘Watch me change your mind.’ I don’t like it when people say I can’t do something.”
Her teachers finally gave in, and Obaidi set out to prove them wrong. She found inspiration and personal achievement in the pages of books, from popular young adult novels such as “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins, to “Nineteen Minutes,” Jodi Picoult’s moving fictional account of a high school shooting.
“I read so many books, and I worked so hard,” Obaidi said. “I knew I could do better than they expected me to.”
And so she did. She’s graduating as a top student, having taken honors and college-level classes throughout high school. She participated in the Youth Leadership Coalition, Future Business Leaders of America and the weeklong Tall Ships Portland leadership sailing program.
She was a student representative to the Westbrook City Council, where she relished the opportunity to be a voice for young people and immigrants in her community. She also ran outdoor track and has worked part time since she was 16, including stints at Burger King, Men’s Wearhouse and Planet Fitness.
She plans to study biology on a full scholarship to the University of Southern Maine and continue on to become a doctor or a dentist. She credits her family and an adviser, Bria White, with teaching her how to be confident and make the most of opportunities in her new home.
“In Iraq, women had no rights,” Obaidi said. “I’m glad to be in the United States.”
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