Immigrant rises to top of graduating class El Salvador native credits family, dual language classes for path to success

Shelby Webb:

The price of Sofia Alfaro’s future was a 1994 Chevrolet Camaro.

Her stepfather sold the car when Sofia was 5, paying for safe passage from her native El Salvador to the United States. But that journey led to another – her years-long struggle to learn English and adapt to a new country. She fell a grade level behind her peers due to her limited English skills and was sent to an alternative school – not for bad behavior but to catch up.