The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

Same dedication, different country

Junior Arianne Ohman carries life from China to the U.S
Arianne+Ohman+poses+with+a+painting+of+her+name+in+chinese.+
Shae Daugherty
Arianne Ohman poses with a painting of her name in chinese.

Over eight thousand miles away from the place she once called home, junior Arianne Ohman finds familiarity and compassion one year into moving to the United States. Although born and raised in Hong Kong, she grew up in a culturally American household.

“The biggest difference [between the U.S. and Hong Kong] was the student body,” Ohman said. “It was mostly composed of Chinese [and] Cantonese people.”

Even though Ohman’s family used to visit the U.S. every summer to see relatives, there was a reverse cultural shock when she actually moved to the states.

“Although American culture wasn’t foreign to me, just being immersed in it 24/7 was a big change,” Ohman said.
Even though some of her extracurricular activities remained constant after relocating to the states, Ohman started pursuing new pastimes.

“I manage an Etsy store, volunteer at the SPCA, take my dog on walks and keep in touch with my Hong Kong friends–things that I either couldn’t or didn’t need to do when I was in Hong Kong,” Ohman said.

Ohman started an International Justice Mission (IJM) chapter at the beginning of her second year at the school. IJM works to rescue slaves, work with police to throw slave owners in jail and ultimately put the slave trade out of business.

Ohman also participates in Alpha Omega, Creative Writing Club, Key Club, National Honor Society and Junior World Affairs Council.

“Back at my old school, I was involved in many similar activities,” Ohman said. “However, because all those activities were based at my old school, I’m no longer a part of them. But here at LHS, I’ve joined clubs that are almost identical and let me pursue the same interests.”

While she resided overseas, Ohman lived close to Sham Shui Po, one of the poorest districts in Hong Kong.

“Growing up in Hong Kong, slavery was something I saw on an everyday basis,” Ohman said, “and it was something I could regularly volunteer to help and I did a lot of services.”

Ohman supported IJM by passing out food to the homeless and bringing groceries to migrant workers and people who were living in cage homes.

“I did a lot of volunteer-based services interacting with people who were either living in terrible poverty or involved in some forced labor,” Ohman said. “Of course, I wasn’t able to volunteer every single week but I tried to do it once or twice a month.”

Knowing that violent acts such as slavery were happening close to her home was devastating to Ohman, but she said as a result, it strengthened her want to do something to help the situation.

“I would see news of the trafficking, forced labor, and slavery that was going on and felt responsible to fight it,” Ohman said.

When her family moved to the U.S, Ohman still felt like she should be doing something to contribute to IJM. She was able to contact the organization and start a chapter at the school.  IJM became a way for her to connect her passions to her country.

“Modern slavery isn’t something that many people normally associate with big world issues at the moment,” Ohman said. “So our goal is to help people realize that it is still an issue in our world. And secondly, our goal is to raise money to support IJM.”

English teacher and club sponsor Courtney Todd said she learned about IJM while studying at Texas A&M University.

“[IJM is] an incredible organization and I am incredibly passionate about the work they are doing to end slavery within our lifetime,” Todd said. “So, I was both happy and eager to help support and raise awareness about their work when Arianne approached me. She does a great job of sharing her experience with the club during meetings.”

Todd said her responsibility as the sponsor is providing a venue for meetings and aiding in communication or correspondence with Ohman.

“[Arianne] is incredibly responsible and organized,” Todd said. “She schedules the meetings and works to prepare the presentations. I help mostly with logistics. It’s neat to get to see the club take shape and find their rhythm. I’m excited for what the future of the club grows into.”

Ohman said IJM gives a meaningful connection to her home country by helping to make efforts to change the slave trade. She said she felt, and still does feel, incredible compassion for those she volunteers to help.

“It’s an opportunity for me to just be able to tell them that someone cares for them and is thinking about them and wants their situation to improve,” Ohman said. “And that’s another thing I was hoping to bring to this school, that we can still as a school be able to make an impact somewhere else in the world.”

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributors
Nnenna Nchege, Staff Writer
Senior Nnenna Nchege is entering her second and final year on The Red Ledger staff. As Nnenna prepares to end her journey at Lovejoy, she is proud to spend her last year of high school as a returning staff writer for the publication. While Nnenna awaits the acceptance letter to her dream school Spelman College, she plans on doing her best to improve her writing skills and provide the most optimal work to her capability. Outside of school Nnenna enjoys shopping, watching sports, reading, and eating at one of her favorite places- Mr. Wok.
Shae Daugherty, Section Editor
It’s Daug·herty, /Dortee/, Daugherty. It’s not that hard. Coaches never get it wrong, and that may have been what drove her to sports photography in the first place. When she isn’t leaving sticky notes all over the newsroom, she’s in the heart of the sideline with a few cameras and a small bag of SD cards. She spends nearly all her time with the Sideline Team, causing trouble or residing in the studio. Her favorite part of football season is the two hours before any game, when the photographers go to dinner, or at least they try to. Shae’s sustained many injuries during her five year run as a sports photographer due to her inability to see players charging at her. Ironically, the Photo Editor is legally blind, and will crack numerous blind jokes, at the disapproval of one Benjamin Nopper. Her goal this year is for The Red Ledger to finally win the Pacemaker, and nothing will stand in her way. Coming in right at 5’10”, she certainly doesn’t need heels, but she wouldn’t be caught dead without them. Let her leave you with this one piece of advice–keep your heels, head and standards high.

Comments (0)

The Red Ledger values the opinion of its readers and encourages them to discuss its content. All comments are subject to approval by The Red Ledger staff. The Red Ledger does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. Comments are reviewed as often as possible. Comments with inappropriate content will not be published. Once submitted, comments become the property of The Red Ledger. To see our full Comment Policy, visit https://www.theredledger.net/about-us/policies/
All The Red Ledger Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *