January Alumni Spotlight: Ambreen Hasan (Silver Spring Community Program)
In 2006, Ambreen’s parents uprooted their family’s life in India to immigrate to a foreign land: Maryland, USA. Her dad was a diplomat, so the government set them up with housing, a car, and helped to enroll Ambreen and her brother in local schools. “This security made it so we didn’t have the typical immigrant struggles.”
Ambreen was comforted by the warmness she felt from her peers and neighbors. “I had seen American movies about high school which made it seem awful, but in reality I felt very included because everyone was so nice. It was still scary to move though because even though a lot of places have become westernized, the culture and environment were still different.”
The expectations and responsibilities imposed on young adults in America was particularly striking. “The fact that once you turn 18 you are considered an adult, can leave the house and are expected to figure your life out and go to school was very interesting. Kids are still very dependent on their parents in Southeast Asian countries at that age.”
Ambreen valued her American education for its supportive resources and because it allotted her the freetime to explore her hobbies. “In India, there is so much pressure to excel in every subject. Students are stressed out all the time and all they do is study, so they don’t have time to pursue hobbies. It’s just so sad because mental health issues are super high. Here, I did not feel the pressure to be at the top of the class. I liked that our class sizes were small and we got to participate in hands-on learning through labs. You also had some autonomy in the subjects you studied, which gave me the freedom to take more STEM-oriented classes. On top of that, the school offered tutoring sessions, after school classes, and summer classes, so it was evident they are truly trying to help kids obtain their diploma. It was a breath of fresh air that I actually had the time to participate on the volleyball team, sing in the chorus, and learn piano. Learning that perspective of work-life balance was really valuable and impacted me personally.”
During her sophomore year, Ambreen discovered Liberty’s Promise. “I wanted to learn what American universities were looking for in college applicants and get involved with the community. The internet wasn’t that big of a thing at that time so having Liberty’s Promise to teach me about my opportunities was super helpful. It was also cool meeting people from all parts of the world. Creating that community and exploring with them outside of the school setting was special.”
Ambreen fondly remembers the “food days” where Sarah, her program officer, would organize a variety of foods from different cultures for the students to try. “That was fun because I wasn’t the kind of person who would go out of their way to try new food, so that was culture coming to you.”
After graduating high school in 2009, Ambreen and her family relocated back to India. Though she was initially drawn to chemical engineering, the reality of obtaining a job as a woman in the field in India looked grim, so she changed paths to IT consulting. She worked in the country for a few years before pursuing her MBA in Canada at York University. Since graduating in 2019, she has worked at Deloitte as an IT consultant. “My job can be stressful, but I enjoy my life here in Canada! There are a ton of immigrants and people are nice. I definitely still consider returning to school to study chemical engineering or psychology. I have always enjoyed school, so we will see what the future holds!
For current Liberty’s Promise students, I advise them to make use of all the services available. It's okay to explore and not have a plan. Liberty's Promise has those resources to explore. Do the research and ask guest speakers questions. I’m so happy to hear that since my time at Liberty’s Promise, more students are getting help.”
As we celebrate Ambreen’s achievements, let us be reminded of the valuable impact that investing in our youth and supporting their dreams has. Today, we can nurture tomorrow’s leaders!
Donate Today!