Your background including successes or struggles, Educational

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My Origins: The Past
I came to this country when I was 15 years old and the war had hit Albania, my home country really hard. On arrival I could not speak English and I therefore had a hard time because of the communication barrier between myself and the locals. At the time I could speak three languages; Albanian, Spanish and Italian, but most of the people I interacted with spoke English. We also had troubles settling down because my guardians had to struggle to secure jobs and locate future housing.
The period that followed was extremely difficult as I tried to learn English, settle down and adapt to the new way of life. There was also the culture shock in the new environment because of the immense difference in the way of life between the U.S. and Albania. It even took me some time to even get used to the food that was available here. In addition, there were major changes in the way the people here socialize and it took me some time to learn how to relate with my peers and also the older people.
At the time I was much younger and I found it rather difficult to adapt to the new way of life. I had been parted from my parents and most of my family members either through death or by physical separation. Many people, friends and family had been killed back in Albania while I and other children watched and even after running away, I never got away from the trauma. However, the chance to start life over again was like a second chance in life and I made a promise to myself to the best out of my second chance in life.

The first thing I did when I got here was to enroll as a student in a local high school. The period of study in the school was a rather turbulent one because of experiences such as bullying and racial discrimination. This led to a general feeling of victimization, insecurity and lack of confidence. The constant ridicule of my accent and the knowledge of the warfare in my home country did not make things easy either. It even made my performance dip below my personal expectations because I ended up scoring a GPA of 4.0.
My dream career has always been in Engineering ever since I was a child. Coming from an extended family with three engineers, I was motivated from a long time ago to want to follow the footsteps of my successful uncles. I was afraid that I would never realize my grand dreams and ambitions in life when I was still back in Albania because of the war. I had dropped out of school for almost a whole year and I almost gave up in life. However, now that I am back on my feet again I plan on doing all that I can to make the best out of this chance and achieve my dreams.
A chance to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering will empower me and give me a chance to help my country in turn. I plan on joining the engineering industry in my country once I am done, mainly to contribute in building back the essential infrastructure that was lost during the war. A degree in Civil Engineering will also help encourage other children and students back in my country and show them that despite the harsh moments they face, there is hope for the future.