TOWAMENCIN- North Penn High School is home to many different students who are enthusiastic and passionate about their careers. One example is Nassim Menoun, whose roots lie a continent away.
Menoun was born in a small village in Algeria and later moved to Tigzirt, a coastal city in the country. He grew up learning and speaking four different languages: Berber, Arabic, French, and English. His family later decided to move to the United States.
“The process of moving took one year or something like this, and we were not certain to even coming here to the United States, and at one point we even forgot about it, but the opportunity suddenly came like that,” Menoun said
On December 2nd, 2022, Menoun arrived in the USA. He encountered some difficulties when he started middle school, including adapting to Chromebooks and the American educational system. Upon entering high school, Menoun was surprised by the school’s size and enjoyed riding the school bus for the first time. Although he is not currently participating in any clubs or activities associated with the high school, Menoun hopes to join a club that interests him in the near future.
“North Penn is a very big school, Algeria we don’t have schools this big, maybe some colleges but no schools are as big as this. Because of this, I like the environment here,” Menoun stated
During his time in Algeria, Menoun had limited options when it came to choosing classes in school, and the use of Chromebooks was not available. Instead, textbooks and notebooks were used regularly, resulting in Menoun carrying a heavy backpack weighing almost 11 kilos (24 pounds) every day.
Life in the USA is really good, it feels like starting a new life here, you know, searching for new clubs and sports. — Nassim Menoun
Outside of school and academics, Menoun is very passionate about soccer. He started watching soccer matches on the TV when he was growing up but started playing when he was eight or nine years old. Menoun tried out for Montgomery United and the Knights soccer team, and he will play for them next year as well, he plans to try out for other clubs in spring.
“I want to become a soccer player in the end. I will do it and I know that I can do it because I have a lot of potential and opportunities here,“ Menoun said
Menoun’s journey from a small town in Algeria to the United States continues, as he embraces a new culture and educational system.