A Plus: 12/4/08: Revere High School's Lisijena Marku
POSTED: 11:05 am EST December 4,
2008
UPDATED: 5:59 pm EST December 4,
2008
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BOSTON -- Every two weeks, NewsCenter 5 presents a high school senior who has taken the lessons of the classroom and applied them to life.This week's A Plus student is Revere High School's Lisijena Marku.
Meet This Week's A PlusNewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that a twist of fate moved Lisijena to the United States when she was just 10 years old. The move changed her life and allowed her to take full advantage of the American education system.Lisijena was born in Albania to a poor family. Because of that, her education couldn't be a priority -- survival was.“I was 6, and that's when I was supposed to start first grade. But my parents had no one to leave my little sister with so I would take care of her; stay home with her,” Lisijena said. “It was life. Many people go through it.”Everything changed when Lisijena’s mother won a special lottery. The prize was American Green Cards. The family settled in Revere, and her parents got to work on the American dream.“We didn't have any lights because no one could translate to tell the boss that we didn't have any electricity. We didn't have any beds or anything. We slept on the floor,” Lisijena said. “But to us kids it was like, 'Oh, this is amazing. We're in America.'"Lisijena enrolled in school and worked hard to learn English. But some kids were cruel."They picked on me because they knew I couldn't pronounce things right. And I'm trying to read, and I said a word wrong. They all just started laughing at me," said Lisijena.Her struggles motivated her to work harder.“Even now I have, like, better grades than all those kids,” Lisijena said. “They all come to me for help.”“She seized the opportunity. She valued this free education, that is, public education, and she worked. She refused to fail,” said teacher Mike Cassano.Next year, the Revere High senior wants to study medicine in college.“I love helping people. I care more about people than about myself,” said Lisijena.“Lisijena's story, even though it was difficult, she only told it in a positive way. She only talked about what she was appreciative for. And she's just so grateful for everything,” said teacher Aislin Davis.If you know a special student who truly makes a difference in his or her classroom, e-mail us your nomination. Please include your phone number.
Meet This Week's A PlusNewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that a twist of fate moved Lisijena to the United States when she was just 10 years old. The move changed her life and allowed her to take full advantage of the American education system.Lisijena was born in Albania to a poor family. Because of that, her education couldn't be a priority -- survival was.“I was 6, and that's when I was supposed to start first grade. But my parents had no one to leave my little sister with so I would take care of her; stay home with her,” Lisijena said. “It was life. Many people go through it.”Everything changed when Lisijena’s mother won a special lottery. The prize was American Green Cards. The family settled in Revere, and her parents got to work on the American dream.“We didn't have any lights because no one could translate to tell the boss that we didn't have any electricity. We didn't have any beds or anything. We slept on the floor,” Lisijena said. “But to us kids it was like, 'Oh, this is amazing. We're in America.'"Lisijena enrolled in school and worked hard to learn English. But some kids were cruel."They picked on me because they knew I couldn't pronounce things right. And I'm trying to read, and I said a word wrong. They all just started laughing at me," said Lisijena.Her struggles motivated her to work harder.“Even now I have, like, better grades than all those kids,” Lisijena said. “They all come to me for help.”“She seized the opportunity. She valued this free education, that is, public education, and she worked. She refused to fail,” said teacher Mike Cassano.Next year, the Revere High senior wants to study medicine in college.“I love helping people. I care more about people than about myself,” said Lisijena.“Lisijena's story, even though it was difficult, she only told it in a positive way. She only talked about what she was appreciative for. And she's just so grateful for everything,” said teacher Aislin Davis.If you know a special student who truly makes a difference in his or her classroom, e-mail us your nomination. Please include your phone number. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
