Lost in Translation, Found in Advocacy

Last month, several members of Colorado Succeeds attended the Accelerate ED Convening in Denver, Colorado. Shannon Nicholas, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, opened the event in partnership with leaders from the Colorado Community College System, Colorado Education Initiative, and Pinnacol Assurance.

Colorado Succeeds Policy & Advocacy Manager Amadou Dieng was also asked to speak. Amadou gave a six-minute Ed Talk on his impactful story about the “why” behind his passion for improving Colorado’s education system.

Amadou’s talk opened with the warm rhythm of Fulani, a language unfamiliar to many in the Alpine Ballroom. When he cut off and switched to English, saying he wouldn’t subject the audience to six minutes of his native language, relieved laughter filled the room.

“Who felt a little uneasy there?” Amadou asked.

When Amadou came to the United States from Senegal as a 17-year-old, he and his migrant father, who spoke only broken English and had no formal education, made their home in Summit County. It was not quite the America Amadou had imagined from the movies. “All I saw were rocks and trees. I thought, where am I?”

One in ten Colorado students are English Language Learners, and many navigate environments and classrooms where they feel lost—not for 30 seconds but for years. Amadou was one of them. His story, however, is about what happens when the system supports, rather than sidelines, students like him.

In Summit County, a team of English as a Second Language (ESL) educators embraced students, going above and beyond to provide support and community in and out of the classroom. They drove students to Denver for soccer games, met them in restaurants to practice English during the summer, and made them feel seen and valued.

A few years later, Amadou’s mother and sister came to Colorado and the family moved to Denver. His sister’s experience was the opposite of Amadou’s. She encountered a system without the scaffolding that had helped him succeed—no ESL program tailored to newcomers, no paraprofessionals, no clarity. “We believed this was the United States, home to the best schools in the world,” Amadou said. “But we didn’t understand the complexity. The patchwork of districts, local control, rural versus urban—it felt like a maze.”

Seeking answers, Amadou found a local organization working with African immigrants. There, he began to learn about the education system not as a student but as an advocate. This journey led him to Colorado Succeeds, where he now helps shape policy and elevate student voices across the state, ensuring those who are most impacted by this work have a say in it.

Because the reality is stark: Colorado is losing learners at every step, especially in and after high school.

“When I look at these numbers, I see my sister, my cousins, my friends, myself—that’s my why.”

-Amadou

The future Amadou sees is one where every high school graduate leaves with a career-connected learning experience, a credential of value, or meaningful college credit. In this vision, multilingual learners are not left behind, but lifted up.

Amadou’s story is a powerful reminder that when students are supported, they thrive. When they’re uplifted, they lead. Amadou will continue to fight for students like him and his sister, ensuring Colorado is a place where they can succeed.

Get to know Amadou and the rest of our staff further on the Colorado Succeeds Team page.