Kepler Dagou is fluent in three languages – French, Haitian-Creole, and English. And now he’s working on his fourth – Spanish.

The 15-year-old freshman’s journey from the Caribbean to the Connecticut shoreline has been one of many ups and downs, but finding a purpose has remained a constant in his life.

With 718 students as of current enrollment, Branford High School is home to numerous students who are either first or second generation immigrants. As part of an ongoing series, The Branford Buzz is highlighting the stories of several of these students.

Dagou is a Branford High School student from Haiti, who has been living in America for almost 2 years now.

“I wanted to have a better life in the US, and it was dangerous in Haiti,” said Dagou, who moved here in December 2023. “There was a lot of street and gun violence, corruption, and many gangs. It wasn’t as safe to live there.”

The dire situation in Haiti has been going on for a long time. A series of unfortunate natural disasters struck the country and this, combined with the many years of economic struggle, promoted a breeding ground for gangs and corruption.

“The US had more opportunities for me to expand in my education. That’s always been very important for me. It was hard moving, too, because of finding a place to settle, [completing] documents, and setting things up, and I didn’t really know English, so it was pretty hard to communicate,” he added.

“Back home, I used to talk to a lot of people and was actually really funny, but now it’s harder because of my English. My accent makes it harder to talk to others or for them to understand me sometimes.”

To improve on his English, Dagou said he studied as much as he could and used the learning platform Duolingo.

“When I heard something new or someone said something, I would write it down in this notebook that I have for English,” he said. “It helped me pick up on things better.”

Beyond his independent learning, Kepler was also part of the English as a Second Language program, abbreviated ESL, at Branford’s Walsh Intermediate School.

Other members of the community described him as being attentive and committed to his learning.

“Kepler was very social, and still is, actually. It’s really easy to talk to him because he treats everyone with respect,” shares freshman Domenica Sislema, a former member of ESL program at the middle school. “Sometimes in ESL he would joke around and go talk with others, but when it came to work, he never got distracted. He would focus on his studies, and that’s one good thing about him… he knows his priorities.”

The transition into fitting in with the community itself and adjusting to the changes in lifestyle required more than just simple learning, but rather a support system.

“When I came here, it was a very welcoming place that I wasn’t really expecting. People helped me a lot with going to classes, and helped me to talk with others. People were really nice,” shares Dagou. “I had a lot of friends and family help and support me, too.”

The freshman also shares his background in soccer and his passion for it, stating that he’s been playing for around 10 years.

“I have a reason to come here: to continue my soccer career and maybe even get a scholarship.”

This personal goal of his has motivated Dagou to continue the sport with the hopes of going professional. Not only has the concept itself helped him push through struggles, but so have his teammates on the soccer team.

“When I was in Haiti I didn’t really play soccer with positions and these kinds of rules, you know? It was more just playing for fun,” he commented. “I remember one time I didn’t know what position to play during practice, and I was offside. The team always helped me understand and were very helpful.”

Fitting in is not the only struggle with moving countries however. An often overlooked challenge with changing environments is leaving the culture of your homeland behind.

“I love many things about my culture. I really love the food. It’s amazing. I miss flag day in Haiti, the traditions that we had when it was held: May 18th.”

Yet, besides missing things about his home country, Dagou remains positive and grateful of culture in America as well.

“To be honest, I love America, it’s such a beautiful country. I love Branford, too; it’s a great city to live in. I love New York City and when there are fireworks on July 4th, and the fast food, like McDonalds. Something that I really appreciate are the amendments, the first one specifically, as it is my freedom.”

With all the diverse experiences in his journey, Dagou shares his two pieces of advice for other students going through the same thing as him, and what his focus is on continuing life.

“First, you have to remember where you came from, and know why you want to come here, what you want to achieve in life. These are all important. You have to know the reason and why,” he said.

“Second, be focused. And don’t let your friends influence you into doing something that will ruin that chance you got.”