This paper, which is based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork with a young female refugee-background student, attends to the evolution of the student's math identity shortly after arrival to the U.S. More specifically, it highlights the ways in which the student's background knowledge and competence with the subject impacted her performance and consequently her confidence and recognition by others as a competent math learner. The data showcase the transition from a pseudo-confident math identity in year one to the loss of confidence and increase of negative emotions in year two. The paper concludes with recommendations for practitioners who work with newly arrived refugee students.