Coming to America

Most people hate the thought of change and adjusting to new situations; however, for freshman Mika Cronin, it comes as second nature. Cronin is a new student at Solon High School from the Netherlands. She has transferred schools frequently, moving from city to city and country to country, because of her father’s job.

Cronin spent the majority of her childhood in different cities in Israel. She was born in Cefar Saba, Israel, then moved to Ra’anana, Israel. After the birth of her brother, Cronin and her family moved to Cefar Yona, Israel, where she attended kindergarten and first grade.

“I had many friends there who I [have kept] in touch with until today because [are] such good friends,” she said. “We visited each other when my family and I moved to Holland.”

Cronin finds that Israel and the U.S. are different in many ways. She was young when she lived in Israel, but one thing she does remember clearly is the grading system being different than what it is in America.

“The grading [system] in Israel is based on a 10-point-scale spectrum with A’s being worth 9-10 points and F’s ending the spectrum weighing in as 0.00-4.99 points when weighting someone’s GPA,” Cronin said. “Also, there are two different high schools one can attend; academic high schools or comprehensive high schools. Academic high schools prepare students for colleges and universities [while] comprehensive high schools prepare students for a combination of academic learning and vocational training.”

Cronin’s Science Investigations teacher, Claire Stoltz, explained that it seems Cronin is adjusting well to American culture.

“Mika participates on several occasions in the classroom and when working with her peers in big group,” Stoltz said. “She shows that she is comprehending the information well .”  

After moving away from Israel, the Cronin family moved to Eindhoven, Netherlands where Cronin completed her schooling from 2nd-8th grade. She stated that the International Primary School of Eindhoven she attended along with the International Secondary School of Eindhoven are very different from American schools in ways of curriculum and the friendliness of other students at school.

“It seems easier to follow along in American classrooms, because the teachers explain things in a much more different and simpler way than in Europe; however, it does seem that the American curriculum is somewhat behind, because everything that I am learning here as a freshman I already was taught last year,” Cronin said.

Cronin explained that she was in the Netherlands, she was involved in more sporty clubs and activities than most girls her age.

“I participated in a rock climbing club, and Judo for four years,” Cronin said. “At Solon High School, girls seem to want to be more [involved in] athletic sports and clubs. For instance, in the Netherlands, I would join the boys [to] play soccer during our breaks at school for fun; {however], other girls didn’t really accept that.”

There will always be some ups and downs about change and adjusting to new surroundings. Cronin explained that she believes Solon High School will provide many amazing experiences and she is excited for what her future here in America has to bring. She said that adjusting is hard and may take some time, but it’s not impossible.

“[Because I’m] a teenager, it’s only normal for me to miss my friends back in the Netherlands, so the time difference makes it harder to communicate with them like I am used to,” Cronin said. “In the end, I know America is the right place for me right now because it will provide better opportunities for my family and I, and I see a bright future ahead.”