Ema Qoku, Period 6, 12/19/22

   Ema Qoku, Period 6, 12/19/22

   Being a woman has opened my eyes to a world full of inequity. Every day I am constantly reminded that no matter what I strive to do, a man will always have the upper hand. There are more men in the STEM field, more men managing companies, and more money for men that do the same thing a woman can do. My upbringing as a woman has been even more of a struggle because of my community.

     I belong to a community of sacrifice: the Albanian community. My parents were born in a small town called Diber, but my father moved to Brooklyn at a young age. My grandparents took him back to Diber when he was 20 and he met my mom, getting engaged through an arranged marriage at only 20 and 18 years old. My mom left her whole family behind in hopes of pursuing a better life for her future children. 

     My community is made up of resilient women that sacrifice for the good of others; women that are expected to serve their husbands and leave whatever dreams they may have behind. My mom moved to America, had me at 21 years old, and struggled to do all she could with the lack of a strong support system, learning a completely new language to lay a strong foundation for me. Now I will take the resources my mother presented to me and become the first person in our family to attend college, pursuing a nurse practitioner degree to prove that I do not need to abandon my goals for others. I can still be a sublime wife and mother without pushing my goals aside for my husband, and I refuse to pass on any opportunity to make a name for myself. I wish to be a role model for not only my kids, but any Albanian girl who may feel captive to one role: the housewife.