When Dianelis Sosa Miranda arrived in Chattanooga, she had her mother, her older sister, and just a few English words. At her new American high school, so different from the one she left behind in Cuba, she felt overwhelmed. Making the transition even more challenging — she didn’t know what anyone was saying.
“If I didn’t understand English, how was I going to understand the classes?” worried Dianelis, who is 17. “How was I going to be able to pass the tests? And how was I going to be able to speak with the teachers?”
Because of your generosity, Dianelis did not have to struggle alone. Bridge Refugee Services has supported Dianelis and her family since they arrived on humanitarian parole in April 2023. To grow her confidence, Dianelis joined our Youth Mentorship program, which pairs teen and young adult refugees with mentors who help them achieve their goals.
That’s how she met Donna Ray, a religious studies professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. For young refugees, Donna said, their mentor is often their first American friend. By offering them attention and support, she helps them adjust to their new world. “What mentors do is serve as a lifeline for these kids,” she said.
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To succeed in school, and to feel less isolated, Dianelis knew she needed to learn English. At first, she only understood some numbers and colors and simple phrases. So, when she and Donna met, they communicated using Google Translate. For a few hours each month, they got together to play English learning games and work on lessons.
On her own, Dianelis kept at it. She created a notebook of verb forms that she reviewed repeatedly. “She’s just so determined to succeed and to learn English,” Donna said.
Slowly, her hard work started to pay off — she could understand more. “I just started moving forward,” Dianelis said. “And even though I do not yet understand or speak perfect English, I am doing a lot better than from the beginning.”
As her English improved, the way Dianelis and Donna spent their time together shifted. They talked about their lives and shared their plans for the future. Together, they explored Chattanooga, taking in the art museum and visiting the library. On one of Dianelis’s favorite outings, they saw a movie together.
School remained her priority, and Donna would often help Dianelis navigate her homework. Even for a native speaker, Donna said, some of the concepts were abstract and challenging. Assignments that took her classmates just 30 minutes would take her hours to complete, Dianelis recalled. She spent all her free time studying and doing homework. “I had the belief that everything that we want to achieve, if you really want it and do the effort, we can get it,” she said.
Donna would joke to Dianelis that her middle name must be “extra credit” — she never missed an opportunity to do extra work. Soon, Dianelis started receiving As in all her classes.
Last spring, East Hamilton High School recognized Dianelis for her academic accomplishments. Most impressive, Donna said, was that the school honored Dianelis for being the newcomer who made the most progress. “It was really nice to see her school recognize her too as a really bright promising student, because that’s how I’ve always seen her,” Donna said.
Her mother, Alina Miranda Torres, said the mentorship program made all the difference in her daughter’s happiness. She remembered how Dianelis would cry at how hard things were when they first arrived. For her daughter, Donna was more than a mentor, Alina said. She was a friend. “She was trusting her,” Alina said. “She started feeling calm, and that helped a lot.”
The progress Dianelis has made since they first met is “astonishing,” Donna said. A few months ago, Dianelis and her family had dinner with Donna and her husband. They talked for hours, with no Google Translate in sight.
Though their formal mentorship has ended, Dianelis and Donna still keep in touch. Dianelis is a junior now, earning top marks, and still working to speak English fluently. After high school, she plans to attend college and study business. She calls Donna “a great blessing” to her — “the biggest help in my life.”
“Whenever we have someone that supports us, it helps a lot,” Dianelis said. “It makes things easier.”
Thanks to donors like you, we will continue to serve new arrivals through our Youth Mentorship program, giving more young people like Dianelis the support they need to succeed on their own.