- We serve over 330 students who speak more than 32 languages
- 100% of our students are English language learners, nearly all of whom immigrated to the US during the last 4 years.
- OIHS students come from 33 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, China, Congo-Brazaville, D.R. Congo, Cuba, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Liberia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
- 33% of our students are refugees who have escaped some of the world’s most violent and protracted conflicts
- Approximately 25% of our students arrive with limited or no formal education
Student Profile: Sharchana & Pujan Mapchan, Gates Millennium Scholars!
Sisters Pujan & Sharchana Mapchan knew only a handful of English words when they first took their seats at OIHS in 2008. Born in a refugee camp in Nepal, they were used to attending a school house built with mud and straw. The sisters and their family were the first in a wave of Bhutanese refugees to come to Oakland. Without strong English skills or an extensive community, they felt isolated. But at OIHS they began to make friends across cultures, and to give guidance to the dozens of other Bhutanese students who joined OIHS. In the past four years, the sisters have become strong leaders—each with her individual assets and talents to offer—in the OIHS community, participating on the school soccer team, the school leadership team, and the peer tutoring program. “Sometimes I feel unlucky to be a refugee, but I am also fortunate because I learned how to not give up,” says Pujan. “I want to become a social worker so I can help others feel safe, unlike how I felt growing up. In this country, many things are possible and I have acquired hope.”
This Spring, both sisters were accepted into the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship program. (Only 1,000 students are selected nation wide.) As Gates Scholars, they will receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice, along with personal and professional development throughout their college career.
