Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 | 2 a.m.
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As Silvian David walked around the courtyard at Basic Academy, he was greeted by classmates. Most students changing classes seemed to know him.
He said he’s found a home at the Henderson high school. Many of his peers, after all, are just like him, having roots in other countries.
David and his eight siblings came to the United States from Tanzania when he was 8 years old. He only spoke Swahili.
He remembers sitting in his grade school classroom and being lost. But he also remembers people willing to help him adjust.
The family eventually settled in Southern Nevada. David quickly became accustomed to America — the language, the food, the people and traditions — and has thrived at Basic.
The senior ranks in the top 10% of his graduating class, is part of multiple clubs and plays two sports. In track, he took second at the state meet in the hurdles.
“Coming to a place you know nothing about and having to learn a new language and understand what the teachers are talking about, that was the hardest part of coming here,” he said. “I was lost. I didn’t know what was happening around me.”
For Principal Gerald Bustamante, David’s success story is the product of his willingness to put in the work. The teen is everything you’d want in a student, he said.
“What makes Basic Academy is that the students have to grind. They have to be persistent,” Bustamante said. “That is what (David) did. He’s done a great job.”
Life in the East African nation of Tanzania was certainly different, and he shares stories of his experiences there with curious classmates eager to learn more about his upbringing.
He wants to learn about other cultures as well, even becoming a member of the Student Organization of Latinos.
He tells classmates about his family’s Tanzanian home, which was constructed of mud bricks with a leaf roof.
And he reminds them about how fortunate they are to have certain foods readily available.
One of his favorite foods is rice, which in Tanzania was mostly served only for special occasions like New Year’s Eve and was considered a luxury, he said.
He also works to dispel stereotypes.
David aspires for a profession in physical therapy and athletic training or, as he said, “anything where I’m not behind a desk all day.”
He knew nothing about football while growing up in Africa, but he was convinced by classmates to join the team at Basic. He wound up being an all-league linebacker.
His mother was initially worried about her son getting hurt in the unfamiliar sport, but he assured her by saying linebacker was a position that did the tackling and he wouldn’t be hit.
Getting adjusted to a new life was something David embraced. He is self-motivated in his studies, and doing homework after school involved little assistance from his parents, who don’t speak English.
“What I love about our school is our kids all have a story to share,” Bustamante said.
David knows other immigrants don’t get up and running as fast as he did. His advice: Don’t quit.
“School work comes first,” he said. It’s easy at a place like Basic because “we’ve got great teachers here. They’ve really taught me.”