She spoke no English. 5 years later, Bluffton High grad wins public speaking awards
When Arianna Geraldine Escalona Sanchez arrived in Bluffton from Venezuela in 2016, she had no grasp of English or the American public school system.
“I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know what to join or do,” she said. “I didn’t know how high school worked. ... Even though my grades were all straight A’s, when it was time for me to speak, I didn’t know how to say anything.”
She still managed to get the highest grades in her freshman year Earth science class at Bluffton High School, which didn’t go unnoticed by counselor Katlyn McCormick.
She recommended that Escalona take honors classes alongside her English as a second language courses, and then bump up to Advanced Placement classwork.
On Friday, Escalona will graduate in the top 10% of her class. She has stayed on the principal’s honor roll and A/B honor roll all four years in high school on top of a stint on the tennis team, the school’s Youth in Government program and a part-time job at Olive Garden.
She also competed in public speaking events through DECA, an international student club that promotes marketing, finance, hospitality and management careers. Escalona said that, even though she’s “really shy,” her advisor Brandon Sligh talked her into joining as a freshman and paired her with an experienced partner to learn the ropes.
She “barely spoke a few sentences” at her ninth grade competition, she said. But as a sophomore, she placed in the top 10 for her category; as a junior, she received high marks for her presentation ability.
“It helped me formulate my words and go straight to the point,” she said.
Under South Carolina law, Escalona cannot receive financial aid to attend the state’ public universities as an international student. But she received a Presidential Scholarship — which will cover her full tuition costs — to attend Wingate University in North Carolina, near Charlotte.
She plans on studying engineering and getting a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and hopes to one day help fight and cure diseases through her creations.
“That would be an accomplishment that would be larger than life, literally,” she said.
Escalona credits her parents Jorge Escalona and Silvia Sanchez as her biggest inspirations and said she’s grateful to McCormack and all the teachers who helped her.
Her advice to others? Learn about the college application process early. And don’t give up.
“Your efforts will pay off,” she said. “Even if it’s just staying up a few extra hours or staying after school for tutoring, even if you think you don’t have the potential, there are people that see it.”