Fizzy Business - Regis College

Kathleen Dooher
When I first started school, at six years old, on the
small island in the Aegean called Paros Island, I
never thought I would be in the United States or
even in college. See, where I come from, not many
people get the chance to pursue higher education
after high school. Many work at their parents’ farms
or join the army. Many choose to run away from
home and join a gang, pursuing a life on the streets.
I am happy to be here, and I consider my life very
good. I sometimes think back on how I came to be
and remember all the obstacles I had to overcome to
reach the United States and reach Regis College.
The day I was born in Albania was the day that the old
government was overthrown. There were strikes and
flags burning on the streets. It was freezing that day.
Life was unbearable. I remember my mom telling me
stories of my father and grandfather having to wake
up at 5 a.m. every morning to wait in line for milk.
The economy was very bad, and poverty was in every
corner. About a year after I was born, my family and
I moved to Greece, to the small island of Paros. I
spent nine years of my life there, and I learned many
useful skills. I learned how to fish, how to make
friends, how important school is, and most importantly,
I learned English.
Every summer, people from Ireland, Canada, England,
and the United States would flood the seaside restaurants.
One of those restaurants was owned by my
friend’s aunt, and she let me help out. I took English
in school so I could understand it pretty well. It was
amazing living there. There was never snow, and the
weather was always good. The summer was booming
with tourism and money was pouring in. The
winters, though, were the worst. There was always
a drought in the winter. Jobs were hard to keep and
even harder to find. This was one of the reasons why
my parents decided to move to the United States.
I came here about seven years ago, and I entered the
eighth grade at the Watertown Middle School. My
vocabulary was made up of elementary sentences
with a thick European accent. I barely remember
school because that year my mom was diagnosed
with leukemia. I missed a lot of classes, but I still
managed to pass. When I entered high school my
mom was getting better, and so I got a little more
time to focus on my schoolwork. I was doing fairly
well in most of my classes, but English was the hardest
for me. I started staying after school a lot with
my ESL teachers hoping I would get better. With
every day that passed and with every friend I made
I learned more about the United States, and my
English improved a lot. I was a very different
person back then.
I think a big turning point in my life was my junior
year in high school. That’s the year I thought of
myself as a fluent English speaker, and that’s the
year I think I matured the most. I started putting
friends and sports aside and started focusing on my
schoolwork. My junior and senior years my GPA
skyrocketed, and amazingly I was one of the top
students in my English class. Senior year came
really fast.
in my own words
Where I'm From, Where I’m Going
By SEMI SPAhILLARI ’13
I started thinking about college and what I was going
to do with my life. I didn’t have any special skills, I
was more of a Jack-of-all-trades. I enjoyed learning
new things, and I liked variety. There was one trade
that I thought I could do very well in and that I found
very interesting, and that was business. I could picture
myself in a business suit making million-dollar
deals every day. Another thing I liked was theater.
Before I applied to any colleges, I made up my mind
that I wanted to pursue business management as a
major and theater as a minor.
I fell in love with Regis when I took a tour and met
with the coach and the theater coordinator. It had
everything I would want in a college, and I was
ecstatic to have been accepted here. This year, I
applied to be a resident assistant and also an orientation
leader. I think this will help me grow as a leader
and teach me communication with my peers and a
good work ethic. I know that with the knowledge I
am getting here I will achieve great things one day.
7
FALL 10