Student Profile: Antonia and Jesús

Twin Siblings Reflect on Their First Day

"San Miguel is really cool!" exclaimed Jesús. "I didn't really want to come to this school, but now I know this is a great place," he added. Jesús and his twin sister Antonia are sixth graders who experienced San Miguel for the first time on Wednesday, August 31, 2005. Their parents chose San Miguel because Jesús and Antonia were beginning to have difficulty in their previous school. They felt their children would be more successful in the small and safe learning environment of San Miguel Middle School.

Antonia and Jesús moved to Minneapolis from Chihuahua, Mexico when they were five years old. A drought caused their parents, who worked on a farm in Mexico, to join family members already living in Minneapolis.

With bright smiles and eyes filled with excitement, the twins shared their impressions of San Miguel after their first day. "It was new to me to have each teacher shake my hand and welcome me to the school," shared Antonia. "It helped me to feel like I could trust people here…and that they trusted me." Jesús and Antonia were nervous about leaving their friends and going to a small school like San Miguel. However, they both found it easy to make new friends and meet their teachers. "My teachers were nice in my old school but there were a lot of students and they could not pay attention to all of us or help us with our work," stated Jesús. "I made a lot of new friends today and my teachers are really fun here!" he continued.

After the first day, Jesús claimed that his favorite class was physical education. "I love to play games in the gym. Today we played dodge ball and I hope we will soon play soccer!" shared Jesús. "My favorite class has to be math. I like to work with numbers and solve the problem," Antonia quickly added. "And I really like to read, so it is hard to pick a favorite after only one day."

When asked about their dreams for their futures, Antonia shared that she hopes to be a singer and a seamstress. "I love Tejano music and clothes and want to share both with lots of people," said Antonia. "I want to go to college for music. San Miguel will help me with my dream because the teachers have lots of experience to share with me." Jesús, on the other hand, would like to follow in his cousin's footsteps and become a United States Marine. He also wants to be a soccer star. "I know that I have to work hard to train my mind and my body. I have in mind that I want to go to college when I am older to help me achieve my goals," shared Jesús.

Antonia and Jesús shared great optimism about the new school year at San Miguel. Both agreed that this year would be fun with their new friends. "I think everyone will be working together to learn a lot and pass into seventh grade," concluded Jesús.