Amilcar was 16 years old when he came to the United States from Guatemala. He came without any of his family and with limited English-language skills.
Because he was an "unaccompanied minor," he spent time in two immigration detention centers before ending up in Chattanooga. Before ending up at The Howard School.
Amilcar is one of 35 students in two English as a second language (ESOL) classes at Howard who have made it to their senior year and are about to graduate. Because Amilcar is in the United States illegally, he asked that his last name not be used. The students' teachers, Ellen Smith and Andrea Dyer, want to celebrate their accomplishments so they are taking 18 of these seniors to Washington, D.C., later this month.
"I'm excited to go," Amilcar said. "It's one thing to learn about these places and history, it's not the same as seeing it in person."
Amilcar is most excited to see the Washington Monument; his classmate, Ricardo Escobar can't wait to see the White House.
Also from Guatemala, Escobar lives in Chattanooga with his older brother. The baby of the family, he came to the country four years ago, leaving behind his mother and other siblings.
Escobar barely spoke English when he first started at Howard three years ago - "only a few words, mostly bad," he said.
"When I first started with Ms. Dyer, I didn't know very much English," he explained in perfect English. "Sometimes I feel like I understand everything, somethings I feel like I don't understand anything."
Both boys hope to go to college, but because of their immigration statuses, their options are limited. Amilcar has an immigration attorney already working on his case, Escobar hopes to hire one after graduation.
Smith and Dyer have had most of their students for the entire time the teenagers have been at Howard. They have watched the students, the majority of whom came from Guatemala and many of whom are undocumented, persevere through challenging situations.
"They work so hard. They work at school from 9 to 4, and most of them work after school for many hours and they sleep very little," Dyer said.
"I came to work and educate myself," Amilcar said. "And to have a better future."
Amilcar left behind his mother and two sisters in Guatemala. He hopes to one day start a business, to build a house for his family, to bring his mother to the United States.
"How brave they are, to leave everything they've ever known," Smith said. "They risked their life to better their life."
The remaining 35 students this year are what's left of a class of more than a hundred ESOL students who started at Howard. Many of those who are gone dropped out to work, the very reason many of them came to the United States in the first place.
Howard educates the largest share of students learning English in Hamilton County. This year, there are 226 students enrolled in the ESOL program - more than 26 percent of the student body.
Five years ago, only a dozen Howard students were considered to be English-language learners, according to the state.
It was easy for Smith and Dyer to decide to take their students on a trip. Two years ago, the two took a trip of their own - to Guatemala, to visit their students' homeland.
"I wanted to visit their families," Smith said.
Dyer, who has been to Guatemala three times, said it helped her build relationships with her students.
"It's amazing," she said. "It helps us to connect to the students so well."
Dyer is already pretty connected to her students - three of them live with her. Carolina Cano calls her mom.
When Cano was kicked out of her father's house, Dyer "found her on the street."
"She adopted me," Cano said.
Since then, Dyer obtained full custody of the teen. Dyer and her husband, who have three biological children of their own, also care for two other Howard students.
"My favorite part is waking them all up in the morning," Dyer said. She goes to each bedroom door, knocking, "Buenos dias. Good morning. Buenos dias. Time to get up!"
On March 16, Smith, Dyer, a third Howard teacher, and the teens will set off on their next adventure.
"I wanted to take them [on a trip] as a reward for all their really hard work and for sticking it out," Dyer said.
They settled on D.C. because it "represents our country and all the possibilities," according to Smith.
"I am excited to learn about the American story," said Jonathan Garcia Cruz, one of Dyer's students.
The two teachers have raised funds for months, raising more than $7,500 to pay for hotel rooms and museum admissions. Both Smith and Dyer launched crowd-source fundraising campaigns through Donors Choose last fall, but they're still short. They hope to raise another $2,000 to cover the cost of the almost 10-hour drive.
If you are interested in donating, contact Ellen Smith at smith_ek@hcde.org or Andrea Dyer at dyer_a@hcde.org.
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.