Adapting to NMH — an African student’s perspective

Image by Yoona Jung ’25

Transition is always difficult. Students talk about their transition from Africa to NMH.

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James Uduanu ’25

Well, it wasn’t easy. The differences between here and Nigeria are so contrasting. My first few months were tricky, even though I told my parents that I was easily blending in. As soon as I arrived, I began to think about who I wanted to be—it was nerve-racking. The fact that there were very few other African students did not help my cause. My home was far away. The transition would have been easier if there were more people I could relate to.

The academic system at NMH is noticeably different compared to my old school. At Day Waterman College, we enrolled in ten courses for the whole year, while here we take three each semester. This was a big relief—it meant less stress. There was also more handwritten homework back in Nigeria, compared to the tons of computer-based homework at NMH. This was an improvement as having tons of handwritten homework was more stressful and less efficient than doing it on a laptop.

When it comes to personal life, my old school was much more strict. They didn’t allow phones or even laptops until a certain age, which helped us focus on other things. In contrast, here at NMH, phones, laptops, and any form of devices were allowed. That was a struggle for me. In Nigeria, we usually find things to do to keep ourselves occupied, but here, most people are on their phones. 

Here at NMH, even talking was a challenge. When I first arrived, I was usually asked to repeat myself multiple times before I could be understood. Having to change my accent and the way I spoke to fit in with Americans was often difficult. Many times I couldn’t be heard until I switched my tone. This is a tough transition and can take years. It would be different if there were more Africans around. 

To get another perspective, I interviewed a fellow African student who, like me, has lived and gone to school there. Sidiqqi Komou 26’ shared the differences he felt between his old school in Senegal and NMH. 

Siddiqi said there are many more opportunities at NMH to express yourself, learn new things, and improve yourself. That’s because there are fewer opportunities to conduct extracurricular activities in Senegalese schools. “The workload at NMH is significantly more,” he said. “This has been one of my biggest challenges. The classes here require more struggle and effort than in Senegal. The classes are at a higher level as there are no advanced or AP-level classes there.” This is a big shift that should be noticed and understood. Students coming from different places with less advanced classes may struggle with taking them for the first time. Sidiqqi also spoke about how he got to take creative art classes now at NMH, whereas there were none in his old school.

Sidiqqi also said the rules were way stricter back home. Like me, he couldn’t have phones in school. “Over there,” he said, “a lot of the school rules and expectations were based on African and Muslim beliefs, whereas here it is more secular.” Social life was affected in the same ways. Many students carried those beliefs and therefore influenced their norms and the way that they acted.” He gave the example that having boyfriends and girlfriends was frowned upon due to Muslim beliefs. 

Sidiqqi said most aspects of his life at NMH were new to him. He felt like he had fulfilled his potential before he came to NMH, academically and sports-wise, but then the standards at NMH were much higher. It was difficult for him to reach the goals he had set for himself at first. When he first came to NMH, for example, minimal effort wasn’t enough to get an A in history class, and he was nowhere near the best at soccer like he had been before. He also found it much harder to socialize. He started off eating most dinners alone and struggled to talk to new people in his classes. “Those things on top of many more things that didn’t go well discouraged me,” he said. “I was in despair, and it took me a long time to recover. However, I am grateful for all of the challenges that I went through. It helped me to become better in ways I never thought possible. Today, I still struggle with similar challenges, but I find peace in suffering that motivates me to work for what I want.” 

Sidiqqi and I share the opinion that there should be more opportunities for African diversity in American high schools in general and that it would be good for NMH if more Africans enrolled. This could be made possible by recruiting more students from around Africa to our school. There’s a lot of talent in Africa that doesn't get the opportunity to shine. My college counselor, Jim Burstein, once told me he went to a school in Lagos, Nigeria, to recruit soccer players to NMH. This is something that could be done more often so that when people are applying for high schools in America, they will see a higher percentage of African students and want to join the school. This will also make it easier for African students to adapt. They’ll be able to share their stories with fellow Africans, while slowly adjusting to their new lives.