Meet Dariel Duarte, a Spring 2021 Lede New Orleans Fellow
Dariel Duarte will be doing community reporting work in New Orleans this spring as part of the Lede New Orleans fellowship program.
By Autumn Jemison
Dariel Duarte was 17 years old when he moved to New Orleans from Honduras in 2016. He and his two younger brothers were finally reunited with their mother, who had been living and working in the United States for more than a decade. Still, Duarte said the move was tough.
The Metairie apartment his family moved into was tiny. He and his brothers shared a room. He waited two months for his school credits to transfer from Honduras before he could start high school in Jefferson Parish. Once in school, he was held back a year because he was still learning English. On his first day at Grace King High School, he remembers his classmates laughing and cracking jokes when he had trouble understanding the teacher.
“It made me feel so bad, but then I told myself, ‘Ok, no. This is not going to get you down. You’re going to learn English and continue.’ And here I am,” said Duarte, now 22.
Duarte, a self-described quick learner who talks with his hands when describing his ideas, said his support network of family, teachers at Grace King and friends and mentors met through organizations like Puentes New Orleans, which supports Latin American immigrants, keeps him grounded. His philosophy in life? To always “do better,” Duarte said.
Duarte is interested in film and acting. As a Lede New Orleans Fellow, Duarte wants to learn more about video editing, as well as how to talk with community members and work with others.
You learned English as a teenager going to high school in the New Orleans area. What was that like?
One of the things I’m still scared of is talking to people because of my English barrier. I didn’t know any English when I came here, so I’ve learned a lot through being in high school. Sometimes, I’ll try to learn it myself by telling myself, ‘You can do it.’ When I’m talking with someone, they tell me, ‘Your English is really good.’ I usually respond with ‘No, it’s not,’ but I always try to give my best… It’s a mindset I have. When I’m speaking, I just think it’s not good. People tell me it’s good, but, to me, it’s not.
Who keeps you motivated?
My main motivation is my parents, especially my mom and grandparents. They have been the best and have always taught me so many things to get me to where I am today.
How do you stay grounded?
I just continue to follow my morals and to give the best of me every time. When you do something bad, it doesn’t look good on you, so you always have to try to do better than others.
What are your goals?
To go to college. To be a better person. To have a career.
What’s your advice for young people who are facing challenges in life or school?
Give time to yourself to think about things. Talk to whoever you want to talk to whenever you’re ready. Take time and think about yourself, what makes you happy and to don’t let anyone control your life. You are free. You have to live your life and do the things that you want. Sometimes it’s really hard to actually do that, but, with time, you can do anything.
Autumn Jemison is a Lede New Orleans Spring 2021 Fellow. She is a Nashville native studying film at Dillard University.
Editorial Director Jennifer Larino contributed to this report.
