The plane rocked back and forth, lurching through the darkening sky. A chime sounded overhead as a gruff voice announced over the intercom, “We are now descending in Washington D.C. Welcome to the United States of America.” Peeking out the window, Saleh Adoum Mahamat ’27 caught a glimpse of the illuminated city through the swirling clouds, unsure of what was to come. Upon leaving his home in N’Djamena, Chad, Adoum Mahamat had to adjust to a new language, country and life. Although adapting was difficult, Adoum Mahamat discovered a newfound passion along the way — a love for books.

After arriving in the U.S. in June 2023, Adoum Mahamat moved to Iowa City. He spent his summer months frequenting the Coralville Public Library to take English classes and participate in the Summer Reading Program.

“The Coralville Library is not just a library for me — it’s my second house,” Adoum Mahamat said. “I started to learn English at the library because they have free English and conversation classes. That is why I love this place so much. There are a lot of people in this library helping me.”

Emily Kriegl, the Community Outreach Educator at the Coralville Public Library, has worked with Adoum Mahamat on his English for the past year. The English classes she teaches aren’t based on a curriculum, but instead focus on helping students improve vocabulary and hold conversations.

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“I try to make [classes] be like real life applications. Knowing that people come to this country and want to interact with people in normal day-to-day conversations, we try to prioritize that kind of learning,” Kriegl said. “We do vocab, listening [and] speaking practice. We even practice job interviews. The conversation hours are usually for people who are more advanced, but they are welcoming to everybody. [You] get to meet new people [and] build community — that’s my biggest goal in all of this.”

Through library-sponsored English classes, Adoum Mahamat was introduced to the world of novels. Although he was first offered books to expand his vocabulary, Adoum Mahamat values the stories books have to offer. The first book he read after coming to the U.S., “Stargirl” by Jerry Spinelli, taught him several important life lessons.

“In my home country, we don’t read a lot of books. … Sometimes when I read a book, it explains emotion,” Adoum Mahamat said. “When [Stargirl] moves to [a new] school, she doesn’t know anyone. She has a ukulele, and then she tries to sing. After that, she meets [Leo], and they try to be friends. ‘Stargirl’ taught me how to connect with people.”

Adoum Mahamat believes reading is more than an entertaining hobby; it is a way to hear valuable stories told from other perspectives.

“Reading is not just for fun. When you read, you also learn something. It’s not just ‘open the book and read,’ it’s ‘open the mind.’ The mind that doesn’t read loses its weight, like a body that doesn’t eat,” Adoum Mahamat said. 

Karen Stierler, the Teen Services Librarian at the Coralville Public Library, met Adoum Mahamat during a teen event last summer. Since then, Adoum Mahamat has visited the library almost every week to attend programs, take classes and read books. 

“[Saleh] stands out so much because he is so excited to learn,” Stierler said. “He’s such a breath of fresh air. He works so hard, and he doesn’t let anything get in his way. He’s so positive, and [there’s] a smile on his face every day no matter what. I love that about him.”

Similarly to Stierler, throughout the time Kriegl has known Adoum Mahamat, she’s seen him grow into a supportive, understanding classmate and friend. 

“I’ve loved to see him feel more confident. I’ve seen him be able to relax [and] make jokes,” Kriegl said. “I think he feels like he has a good, solid home in this community, and that’s so wonderful to see, because he does.”

As the library grew into a second home for Adoum Mahamat, the librarians, like Stierler, became a newfound family.

“[Karen] is like my mom. [When] I start to read my book and then use my Chromebook, sometimes I get a headache. I explained [this] to Miss Karen, [and] she told me, ‘Okay, we need to find glasses,’ and she did that for me. I’m so proud [to know] her,” Adoum Mahamat said.

Offering a plethora of activities and get-togethers for all ages, the Coralville Public Library helped Adoum Mahamat forge new friendships, whether with fellow high schoolers or the adults in his life.

“I’ve loved introducing him to other teens. I know he’s made friends with a lot of the other librarians, and he’s always looking out for them,” Stierler said. “He’s like, ‘Oh, your favorite kind of yogurt is in the fridge today. Here, I brought you some.’ He’s so kind.”

Adoum Mahamat has also grown more comfortable in his English classes and stepped into a leadership role by volunteering to pass out papers and help his classmates. Kriegl admires his ability to make others feel at ease both in and out of the classroom.

“It’s so incredible that [Saleh] is such a leader. He’s so kind, warm, generous [and] he’s able to be himself. He’s such a good, welcoming person in the community that for a long time, he didn’t feel was even his,” Kriegl said. “He really is a community builder, and I think we need more of those in life. We need more people who unify others, are ready to meet people where they’re at unconditionally [and] make you smile.”

Adjusting to a new life can feel less daunting with support from people such as Stierler and Kriegl, but that doesn’t mean it is an easy process. Compared to Chadian schools, American schools presented several differences that Adoum Mahamat has since adapted to. 

“[In American schools], you need to go step by step. But in my country, we don’t have Algebra I, Algebra II [and] Geometry. You have ‘Math,’ so you would combine algebra, geometry [and] precalculus,” Adoum Mahamat said. “If we have a test or quiz and there are [parts] that you don’t know, you can ask the teacher here in America, and then the teacher will try to explain to you what it means. But in our country, if you don’t know how to solve the problem, you skip it and get a zero.”

Although adjusting to a new school system is a difficult endeavor, Adoum Mahamat continues to push himself to take challenging courses so he can pursue a career as a doctor.

“I’m trying to do my best — maybe if I get a scholarship, I can go to university and study medicine,” Adoum Mahamat said. “Medicine is my childhood dream because when I was young, my mom sometimes took me to the hospital. … I saw [the doctors] working so hard to save people. That motivated me.”

After medical school, Adoum Mahamat hopes to become either a cardiologist, biomedical engineer or a surgeon. Having experienced grief first-hand, he understands what it feels like to stand by others as they battle sickness.

“My little sister was just one year and one week, and then she died. That was so difficult for me. I promised myself, and I promised my mom, too, [that] when I grow up, I will be a doctor to save people. I don’t want to see someone die in my eyes,” Adoum Mahamat said. “When [I wasn’t] at home, [my little sister] cried one day. At night, she slept in my bed before my mom came to pick her up. That is why I want to be a doctor; I don’t want to lose someone.”

Despite any hardships, Adoum Mahamat chooses to have a positive mindset when setting goals and tackling day-to-day obstacles. 

“Every day when I wake up, the first thing I say in my mind is, ‘Today is a new day. You can do better,’” Adoum Mahamat said. “Every day is a new opportunity to be better than yesterday.”

Adoum Mahamat is determined to carve his own path and use books to seek information independently. However, he believes books are much more than a source of knowledge — they are a guide through life.

“A book is not just a book. For me, a book is a friend,” Adoum Mahamat said. “[A book] is like a person who tries to help you and make sure [you know] what happened in the past. Books advise me, and books help me know everything.”

This story was originally published on West Side Story on March 3, 2025.