DURHAM — An amazing journey.

That's what Meylin Zambrano has been on since she arrived in the United States from her native Honduras nine years ago, unable to speak a word of English and terrified of going to school and facing ridicule.

But tonight, the 20-year-old will graduate from Durham Technical Community College near the top of her class and with a bright future.

"I didn't even know a word of English,' she said of her arrival in Brooklyn, N.Y., when she was 11. "I actually begged my mom not to send me to school. I've always liked school, but I was so afraid that I begged her and cried, because I was afraid that they were going to make fun of me.'

But they didn't.

"Actually, I was very surprised to know that a lot of people spoke Spanish [at her New York school],' she said. "The first thing I learned in English was: 'I don't speak English.'"

She said people would often ask her questions she couldn't understand. "And I would say, 'I don't speak English.' I found that it worked, because they would go away after that.'

Today, she speaks English fluently, but it took hard work.

"It was very difficult,' she said. "The problem I had was that the same word could mean something different if it was used in a different sentence.'

"But I got it, I guess.'

In addition to English classes, her coursework at Durham Tech has included biology, anatomy, physiology, psychology, ethics, religion and math. Ironically, she said, she's better at English than math.

"I really liked the ethics course and religion course,' she said. "But math is my worst subject.'

She will graduate with a high grade-point average, although she wasn't sure exactly what it was this semester. But last semester, she said, it was about 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

"I've really enjoyed going [to Durham Tech],' she said. "The teachers are very supportive and helpful.'

Zambrano will attend UNC Chapel Hill as a junior this fall, although she'll take courses on campus this summer. She is part of a program between Durham Tech and UNC Chapel Hill that identifies high achieving, low- and moderate-income students who would not otherwise attend college, and offers them a slot at UNC.

She plans to major in exercise and sports science at UNC, with a minor in philosophy. Her goal is to be a physical therapist.

"It's been hard, learning a new language, coming to a new place,' she said. "But it's been a fun journey and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm very excited.'