I used to be a quiet and insecure student. I remember my friends talking about attending university. There were discussing the classes at our local college, North Dakota State University. Since it is a public university and more expensive than community college, it was impossible for me to think about going there. But, since my friends were talking about the school, I was curious. I started researching the courses it offered. I also went on a college tour to see the campus. The college looked big and fancy with lots of space and it had a refreshing atmosphere. I liked it. It was also highly ranked among other schools in the nation. During the tour, I also saw students of different ethnicities. I was inspired and felt the urge to go to there after seeing the diversity.

When I moved to the United States, I didn’t know English fluently, and I was afraid to communicate with my peers. I had a question constantly buzzing around in my mind. Will I ever get accepted into a good university? As the days passed, the language wasn’t my struggle anymore. My English skills grew, and I felt more comfortable speaking. Since I belonged to a low-in- come family, I always made sure to keep my expectations low. Financially, my parents were not stable enough to afford the basic things we needed.

Being a refugee was not something I chose. I was living in a place where it was impossible to survive. My grandparents always wanted me to become a successful nurse. Being a nurse was also my dream, and this was one of the reasons why I was happy to be in the United States.

Even though I made up my mind to attend the local university, I doubted it would happen, because I did not have enough money. So, I started working at Walmart and saving money for my future. When I found out about financial aid, I frequently visited my counselor to discuss my options. Although my grades and GPA were all excellent, my ACT score was low. My counselor suggested that I should look for scholarship opportunities. I was frustrated because almost all scholarships were asking for an average ACT score.

During a project for my English class, I started to gain more hope for my future. I wrote about my personal experiences that I faced coming to America and then I shared it in front of a public audience. Soon after, my teacher encouraged me to submit the story for a contest, and I won! This gave me so much confidence and I started to believe in myself even more.

I went to the counseling center at my school to investigate scholarship opportunities, and found a scholarship from Concordia College, for those who came from different countries. I applied but didn’t get the scholarship. I even blamed myself for being born as a refugee. I decided not to go to college after high school. I figured it was a sign and I was very depressed.

Unexpectedly, I ended up receiving an academic scholarship from Concordia College for four years. My mom couldn’t believe that her daughter received a scholarship and was now able to achieve her goal. Even though I was fighting many obstacles, I still challenged myself and pushed through.

I believe in the power of faith. Faith consists of believing when it is beyond logical reason to believe. I’m the oldest child in my family and I have two younger siblings. I will be the first child to graduate from high school in my family, and I will also be part of the first generation to attend college.

© Susmita. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.