As she sits down, she begins to smile. It's an innocent smile, but I can't figure out if it's out of excitement or nervousness. She covers her face and laughs under her hands. She waits for me to start asking questions. She lists her full name as Maricel Yvette Montalvo Rodriguez, who left Puerto Rico for the United States in 2010 at the age of six. She was already fluent in Spanish when she arrived in the United States. When she started school, she was enrolled in the English immersion program. The program aimed to help him learn English as a second language. She attended the program for about two years to improve her speaking, reading and writing English skills. After completing the program, she enrolled in regular classes. Maricel gained enough skills to speak English fluently, but she lost her ability to read and write in her native language. She finishes speaking and looks at her friend. Her friend looks at Maricel, not knowing why she was looking at her and not me. She says her full name with a straight face, Hannah Kabura Kariuki, born and raised in Kenya, a Swahili-speaking country. In 2009, Hannah moved to the United States; at the age of five, she was also enrolled in the English immersion program as a kindergartner. Hannah was fluent in Swahili, and after a year and a half in the program, it gave her the English skills she needed to be enrolled in regular classes. Unfortunately, today, Hannah cannot read, write, or speak Swahili fluently. English has always been a preferred unofficial language in the United States. Historically, it has never been a “monolinguistic country” (Driscoll 1). Over the years, the United States has experienced great cultural diversity, even though it has not valued education. Most universities and careers emphasize the idea of ​​bilingual education. , because of the skills one will eventually need in the real world. Works Cited Clouthier, Kris. “English Immersion: Creating Equal Opportunities for Immigrant Students.” » Viewpoint: Reference Center on Bilingual Education, November 21, 2003. October 9, 2015. Driscoll, Sally and Geier B. Denise. “Counterpoint: America's future depends on bilingual education. » Point of view: Reference Center on Bilingual Education, January 2015. Web. 2015. Lee M. and Maureen McMahon. “English immersion is a proven teaching method. » Point of View: Point of View Reference Center, 2015. Web. October 11, 2015. Stokely, Anne. of bilingual education." Point of view: Bilingual education. Point of View reference center, 2015. Web. October 7.. 2015.