Sitting here now in my cozy dorm room in this peaceful and picturesque city of South Hadley I think back to the time when I was fretting about my college applications. I can’t help but smile, feeling slightly amused at my story. It was back in August 2008 when I decided to apply for the Youth Exchange and Study Programme that gives students under the age of 17 an opportunity to attend an American high school and live with an American host family for a year on a full scholarship.

As I filled out the applications and scanned my transcripts, I was discouraged by several people. “Oh, but you’re a Matric student. Out there they prefer O’ and A’ Level students.” Quite a few times such remarks left me disheartened … still I refused to give up. And my determination paid off. Not only did I clear the test, I successfully aced the interview and became one of the 61 Pakistani student ambassadors to the United States for the year 2008-2009.

By the end of the exchange year, I had formed unbreakable ties of friendship and love. I availed the opportunity to introduce my culture, cuisine and arts to Americans, engage in distinct community service and meet people of assorted backgrounds. Under my belt were now certificates and awards of appreciation from distinguished international organisations, the US State Department, and a Presidential Student Service award from the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

On my return to Pakistan in 2009, my friends and family encouraged me to opt for A’ Levels because of my excellent academic record and other achievements. However, I went for Intermediate from the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB).

Time flew and I applied to Mount Holyoke College, one of the oldest Liberal Arts institutions in the United States, ranked highly by The Princeton Review as per academia and classroom experience, and fourth highest as per the standards of the most beautiful university in the United States. Once again, I heard discouraging voices from acquaintances about how hard it is to get admission to Mount Holyoke. This time I turned a deaf ear to all such negative talk and engrossed myself in preparing for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). My score in SAT was 2,150 in my first attempt, which was more than my friends’ from other backgrounds. That’s when I knew I could do it—I only needed to be persistent with my work.

On a chilly December morning after cleaning up the dining table, I casually logged in to check my email. My heart skipped several beats as my eyes fell upon the subject lines of one of the emails: ‘Your admission decision’ from the office of admissions at Mount Holyoke College. I was filled with joy as I read about my acceptance to the college with a 92 per cent scholarship totaling to US $46,000 annually for four years. I frantically called my parents to my room as tears rolled down my cheeks. The next moment, my parents were dancing in happiness with me. The expressions of pride on their faces will always stay fresh in my memory.

So when people were busy with midterms and figuring out which university they wanted to apply to, I knew exactly where I was going. In July, 2011, I applied for the Millennium Campus Conference at Harvard University and fortunately got selected on a full scholarship, again. Now I had two big events to look forward to after summer, beginning of university life and a tremendous conference to attend.

I feel so fortunate to have the privilege to study at a prestigious institution like Mount Holyoke. From the vast campus to the well-equipped library, challenging courses, wide range of academic and extracurricular clubs, a renowned equestrian centre, generous professors, an extremely diverse community of students and faculty to the lush green stretches, two lakes, a waterfall and red-brick buildings, everything is like a dream come true.

The Millennium Campus Conference at the Harvard University was an experience of its own kind. Not only did I listen to eloquent speakers, but I also learned about several organisations that are working for the plight of the suffering in this world and creating opportunities for the underprivileged. I was able to network with individuals and organisations with whom I wish to work to bring small changes in people’s lives.

And I value all these opportunities because I understand what it’s like to come from a place where huge masses of people struggle for basic education. I aspire to spread education as widely as I can now, and in future to make our part of the world an even better place to live in.