Acceleration Academies_Spring2023_Pathways Magazine

GWINNETT COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Malu Montero Britto
of GCAA
Adapts to a New
Country, Language
and Way of Learning
When Malu Montero Britto
moved to the United States
from Peru as a 5th grader, the
transition was rough. In addition
to adjusting to a new country
and language, she had to deal
with unjustified hostility from
some of her peers.
“I was nervous to speak up
because I didn’t speak English
and people would make fun of
me,” she says. Classmates would
taunt her, saying, ‘You’re dumb,
we don’t understand you.”
Her family also took some time
to settle down, and she bounced
from school to school, dealing
with bullying at every step.
Finally, in high school, she gave
up on traditional school and
decided to try for a GED. But
that, too, was a rough road; she
found that studying online was
isolating, and when she needed
help from a teacher, it was hard
to come by.
“I told myself I could do it, but it
was too difficult,” she says. She
lost momentum and began
to despair. “I would see people
graduating from Mountain View
(her old school) and I would say,
‘That should have been me.’ ”
She told her mother, “I’m tired
of being unstable. I want to
graduate — and I want to start
making my own money.”
With her mother’s help, Malu
found her way to Gwinnett
County Acceleration Academies,
which works in partnership with
Gwinnett County Public Schools
to offer a flexible, personalized
course of study for students
who’ve been frustrated in
traditional settings.
At GCAA, Malu found a quiet,
studious learning environment
with zero tolerance for bullying
and a team of educators who
stood ready to support her
in every way. Every time she
would come up short on a
practice test in her adopted
language, for instance, English
language arts content coach
Morris Bevily would break
down the sentences and words
for her to help her better
understand.
“What I really like is that there are
teachers here who are going to
help me graduate,” she says.
She appreciates that, like all
public schools, GCAA provides an
education free of charge. “I was
like, I’m not going to lose that
opportunity.”
GCAA’s flexible scheduling has
also proved a boon. She comes
to campus to study three days a
week, and is able to keep a fulltime
construction job she landed
working with her brother.
“I can choose my days and that
helps me with my job and my
work for school.”
Malu has an artistic eye and
would like to study interior
design in college. She knows that
earning a diploma will position
her better for success than a
GED would have — and the
momentum she’s regained at
GCAA has built her confidence
her potential.
“I want to graduate because
I want to have a better
opportunity here in the United
States,” she says. “If you want
a professional job, you need a
degree.”
18 Pathways | Spring 2023