TOWAMENCIN – Moving to a new country can be very challenging. It can be nerve wracking. At the same time, however, it can be exciting. It can offer many opportunities and benefits. For one senior at North Penn High School, he didn’t just move from a new country, he moved from a new continent. 

Jose Bueno, who was born and raised in Tocantins, Brazil, moved to the United States in February, 2022. Alongside his mother and sister, Bueno has found a new home here in the North Penn School District, a community much different than that of which he lived in as a kid. 

“When I was born, my mother was in college, so I was living with my grandparents,” Bueno explained. “I used to live in a small town, and I didn’t have a phone, so I used to play in the street, ride a bike, and it was really fun. I think that helped me be who I am right now.”

Bueno continued to live this way for a few more years, but once he was in 6th grade, his family would be on the move for what would be the first of multiple times. 

“In the middle of my sixth grade year, my dad got a promotion and we moved to the capital of the Tocantins,” Bueno stated. “I then started going to the best high school in the city.”

A couple of years later, while in high school, a member of the Bueno family saw an opportunity that would change the families’ life forever. They had already moved homes in Brazil, but now they’d be moving to a brand new country.

“Two years ago, my mom was scrolling through Instagram, and saw the opportunity to be a dentist here in the U.S.,” Bueno explained. 

“Four years ago it wasn’t even in my mind. It was just a dream watching American movies.”

Living in the United States for close to a year now, Bueno had good things to say about what living in America has been like for him and his family. 

“It’s been really good. There’s a lot of things to do, so I’m trying to enjoy that,” Bueno said. 

Getting involved within the school was a major priority for Bueno, and he wasted no time by joining the high school water polo team. Trying this sport for the first time was a challenge at first, but by the end, he had no regrets. 

“It made me grow as a person and I loved it,” Bueno stated. “When I started, I was the slowest [in the water]. I started to learn fast that I’m not the best, but I can still do my best.” 

Bueno also joined the JROTC program at North Penn, and is very happy about that decision. As he looks ahead to the future, he believes that this program will have a major impact on what he decides to do with his life. 

“Right now, my mind is between two ways,”  Bueno said. “First, joining the air force and working with computer programming. Or, maybe go to a normal college and become a doctor.”

Whatever the future may hold for Bueno and his family, they are doing well here in America and specifically the North Penn community. He has already had an indelible impact on the people around him.