Graduation Speech: We are Blessed to Live in the USA

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Dear fellow students, faculty, friends, and family, My name is Sam Myers and I'm from Albania.

Coming here was a great experience for me. I grew up in a poor country where the chances to get a good education were extremely limited. I went to schools with broken windows, and did homework by candlelight because we had no power. I was raised in a simple family by parents who loved me dearly, cared for me, and taught me life values that I carry with me. I wish they were here today.

My parents had no educational background and could barely read or write. I had nothing compared to what young people in America have. But my parents communicated to me the importance of a good education, and today I am graduating from Marefat Community College in the United States of America. What a huge difference!

The fall of communism in Albania in 1990 brought Albanians hope for the future. As every young man, I had dreams and one of them was studying abroad. God brought me here in a miraculous way. While providing medical care for the Kosovo refugees during the war of 1999, I met the people who provided the financial support I needed to come to America. It was exciting and scary at the same time. I had lived all my life with my family in the same country, but it was time for big changes and new adventures.

I cherish the wonderful feelings of my first days on the Marefat campus. The easy access of many resources on campus including the library, computer labs, and many others made my learning process easy.

I have learned that the key to success is working hard and focusing on your goal. Despite the many distractions this country offered me, I reminded myself that I had a goal to reach and I was here for a specific purpose. Marefat Community College opened many new doors for my future. One of my greatest experiences was working at the Office of Student Life as a student programmer. I learned to work in a business environment, coordinating events and communicating with students and staff. Working as a team with students from different cultures and backgrounds opened my eyes to get a better picture of the world. For the first time in my life, I met people who did not look like me. As I got to know them, I was able to break the stereotypes I had built growing up in a country that was closed to the rest of the world for 50 years.

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