Editor’s note: This piece was originally written by Sierra Allen during the Spring 2018 semester. It can be read in its entirety here.
Almost four years ago, a scared 21-year-old girl boarded a plane in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China and arrived in the United States, a new world 6,838 miles away. As flight attendants explained the protocol emergency procedures, she doubted her decision and began questioning herself. “Oh my gosh, why are you here, you should be with your family,” she thought. But there was no way to change her mind.