At 17 years old, I packed my whole life into two suitcases and flew to California.  I grew up in Dubai with my mother and two sisters. After my parents’ divorce, my mother took complete responsibility for us and decided that I should go to school in the United States so that I could pursue a better education and build an independent life for myself, just like we both wanted. My personality comes from her resilience. In South Asian culture, it is uncommon for young women to move abroad for their studies. My mother married at a young age and gave birth to me around the same age I am now. She was determined to break that generational curse.  I arrived in the United States with no friends or family. Everything from opening a bank account to cooking a meal was foreign to me. I began my studies at De Anza College, then transferred to UC Berkeley in spring 2025. The second I received my acceptance letter to Berkeley, I knew I had to go. I called my mother immediately and, even though it w...