Imagine leaving everything and everyone that you know and love behind. Imagine needing to master a new language and start a new life.

    Junior Percy Ndamage and senior Chelsea Ndamage don’t have to imagine it. They are two of the many students at NHS who left their home country to come to the United States.

    The Ndamage family moved to Noblesville from Rwanda in April of 2016. They moved in order to create a better future and better lives for themselves.

    “When it comes to opportunities, America is the best,” Percy said. “America is the best in [education] and making a future for yourself.”

    Percy enjoys NHS because of the different opportunities the school offers that he wouldn’t have in Rwanda.

    “I have the opportunity to run track,” Percy said. “I didn’t think I could make it, but [the team] encouraged me so much, and they gave me the confidence to run.”

    Chelsea enjoys the fact that NHS offers courses based on interests and passions.

    “In [Rwanda], you can’t find a course to do things you’re interested in. When I came here, I was free to take what courses I like based on my talents and what I love to do,” Chelsea said.

    While Chelsea and Percy enjoy living in Noblesville, the move wasn’t easy for them.

    “It was very hard for me to make this transition,” Chelsea said. “It was hard to know that I was leaving all those people behind and going somewhere that I don’t know anyone and I don’t know the language that they speak.”

   Percy and Chelsea noticed major cultural differences almost as soon as they got here. One of the more obvious differences is language. Percy and Chelsea first learned to speak Kinyarwanda, one of the official languages of Rwanda. They were also taught how to speak some French and English when they attended school in Rwanda.

    One thing that Chelsea enjoyed doing in Rwanda was working as a public motivator.

    “It’s my joy to make others happy and to motivate them and to make them see the bright side of life,” Chelsea said.

    In Rwanda, dance plays a significant role in everyday life.

    “In [Rwanda], any opportunity you get, you perform those dances,” Chelsea said. “It’s something that’s part of our culture.”

    The school that they attended even had a boys dance team.

    “Boys in high school had a dancing crew. I’ve never seen a boys dancing crew here it’s only girls, and I don’t know why,” Percy said.

    Percy shares how dance is a good way to express yourself.

    “We dance to feel free, to refresh our minds and to relax,” Percy said.