A significant number of expats in the world are breaking into many different fields, showing great success. Artea Brahaj is added to this number, who recently graduated from the most prestigious university in the world.
She told the story of emigration and the challenges she had at Harvard University. Below is her full story of her accomplishments and graduation:
Four months late, but on May 25, 2023 I graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude with high honors in Social Studies; a minor in Ethnicity, Migration and Law; and a language citation in Spanish. Anyone who knows me knows how much this country means to me. In 2007, by a stroke of luck, my parents, sister and I won the visa lottery and immigrated to New York from Albania. Three years later, after my dad got home from work at midnight, we watched Legally Blonde together and he said, “That could be you one day. ” As cool as it sounds, that movie was my first introduction to college and school. Since then, my parents and I would talk about a future that we could build together for the family and for Albania if I was accepted, Harvard represented the American dream.
It’s ironic that I spent my entire time at Harvard questioning the very concept of the American Dream. I confronted my idealism and found a passion for critical social theory and migration and religious studies. During my short time at Cambridge University, I was finally able to study the history of my country. My academics became a personal pursuit, allowing me to reconcile my family and my experiences while looking beyond them. This post has taken so long because I was struggling to imagine myself outside of these studies but I’m sure they will continue in some way.
Thank you to my parents for believing in me so fiercely and working so tirelessly to make sure I was never left wanting despite everything we faced. Thanks to my brothers for supporting me and being my constant source of levity. Thanks to my extended family for being my fans despite the distance between us. Thank you to my third and fourth grade teacher for being the first educator to ever believe in me in America. Thanks to all the teachers, because they saw more in me than I did myself. Thank you to my chosen friends and family for brightening my days and keeping me afloat. Thank you to everyone who has ever come along with me on this journey – it hasn’t been easy by any means, but you all have made it all the more worthwhile. In the next!
