Journey to the United States
I was born in Tirana, Albania while the country was still ruled by a communist dictatorship. Those that did not support the oppressive government, like my parents and their family were discriminated upon. Nine months after I was born the Albanian borders, which had been closed for around 41 years, finally opened and the people of Albania were finally free to leave the country. My parents packed a suitcase with only the bare necessities and moved to Greece in hopes of building a better future for their family. Lack of opportunity in Greece, forced my parents to move to the US so they embarked on their second emigration. Reaching their 40’s, without any knowledge of the English language and with meager savings, my parents moved to the U.S in order to provide their children with the opportunities they never received.
Watching my parents struggle to rebuild the foundation of our lives and slowly fight to create a sound framework for our success has given me invaluable insight into the meaning of sacrifice, perseverance and hard work. My life philosophy is based on the idea that with positivity, flexibility, determination, and passion I can achieve all of my goals.