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READING LEVEL 5
My Family Heard My Voice
Meriem Asri
Let me share with you how I made my voice heard in my family. When I won the Diversity Lottery Visa, no one in my family wanted me to leave Morocco and go to the United States alone. I explained to them that it would be good for me to go to the U.S. I would learn a new culture and new language, and I would have a better life and career.
At first, my family tried to convince me that I would have similar opportunities in Morocco. But I stood up for myself, and I said no. I gave them an example of my friend Sofia who won the Diversity Visa Lottery before, and now she is doing great in Texas. She became a nurse after four years of hard work. My family was amazed by this story and actually started listening to my plans. I told them that I would follow similar steps as my friend Sofia. I would learn English, and then I would go to school in Information Technology (IT). My plan is to work for one of the biggest IT companies in Boston.
When they saw how motivated and serious I was, they eventually agreed with my plan. To sum up, I want everyone to know that I am a hard-working young lady and if I have something that I want to achieve in my life, no one can stop me, not even my own family. My family once disagreed with me, but now they are really proud of me.
Meriem Asri is a student at Community Learning Center of Cambridge, MA. She is from Morocco and has been in the U.S. for 1.5 years. She works hard and hopes to use her degree in technology to ind work in the U.S.