When Alonso Cortez moved from Queretaro, Mexico, to his home in Mount Joy four years ago, the transition was far from easy.
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"The first month, I felt really depressed because I didn't know what to do," said the Donegal High School senior, who knew no English when he came to America.
"I would see a lot of guys here try to talk to me but I couldn't understand."
But after working hard in English as a Second Language courses, Cortez has a command of the language.
These days, he even thinks in English, so understanding his peers is no longer a problem.
"Now I really get along with the other guys in my class," he said. "They feel really confident in me."
That confidence comes in handy when Cortez is playing forward for the Donegal High School basketball team or throwing the discus during school track and field events.
He also keeps busy with the Donegal Math Honors Society, National Honor Society and his Bible study group.
Last year, Cortez was a mentor to Ryan, a 5th-grader, through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Elizabethtown. The pair would play games, complete workbooks and finish homework.
Cortez learned his mentor skills from his biological little brothers, Albaro, 16, and Tomas, 12. Hanging out with them, he said, taught him "how to behave around kids."
The boys live with their parents, Tomas and Teresa, in Mount Joy.
Cortez has adjusted to his family's new home, where he enjoys fewer chores, sports and television, but memories of life in Queretaro continue to influence his decisions.
"In Mexico, we don't really have a good health care program," said Cortez, who aspires to be a doctor some day. "Seeing that now I have the opportunity to work in health, I think it will be really great."
He will pursue his dream at Messiah College this fall, as a biology major in the pre-med program.
But tonight, as he graduates from Donegal High, he will likely pause to reflect on what has taken place in the past four years. He says he will miss teachers like Patricia Smith, his ESL instructor at Donegal High School, and the motivation he has gotten.
"My ESL teacher always pushed me to try to learn more and always encouraged me to do things right, and all my teachers try to help me," he said. "If it wasn't for their help, maybe I wouldn't be here."
Staff writer Katy Hopkins can be reached at khopkins@LNPnews.com or 481-6028.
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