Growing up in Enfield North London, university was not really a concept for me growing up. I initially surrounded myself with the ‘wrong crowd’ yet now I’m in my second year of university in a foreign city…it’s been quite the journey.
There are a lot of stereotypes of Albanian males in general, and growing up where I grew up did not help. People referred to me as a lot of things, but it did not faze me as I knew that was not the case. Secondary school was a journey, I did not really struggle as I was naturally smart, but my behaviour did not make things easy for me. I got into trouble quite a bit and was referred as a ‘chatter box’ by my teachers. I would not say Enfield was dangerous, but it was not perfect, especially with the people I was friends with.
Year 11 was not a normal school year. The first few months were fine, but then news broke of COVID 19. I did not think much of it until the school announced its closure. We all thought it would be a couple of weeks. But a couple of weeks turned into months.!
Exam results came, and I was not too hopeful. My mocks did not go as well as I anticipated earlier in the year as truthfully, I was too unserious. As I initially thought, my results were not what I wanted. I could have taken this negatively, but I did not. I decided to take the untraditional route of doing BTECS. My mum was not happy about this, but I felt it had to be done.
I went to my secondary school sixth form where I was around people I already knew. It was time to apply for universities. I knew my main options; however, they all needed a higher grade for maths as I wanted to pursue accounting and finance. With extra research, I found The University of Liverpool. Honestly, the only reason I did apply for Liverpool was because their entry requirements were the highest, so it was a challenge I was willing to take.
Soon came the end of six form and result day arrived. I was not too stressed as I was confident. My results were D*D*D. Honestly, I would have preferred to do A levels as I wanted a bigger challenge, however, I’m not one to complain.
It was now time to leave home and experience a new challenge. In a new city. With people I do not know. It was exciting at first, but I was not sure I would fit in. My parents dropped me off, I could tell they were proud, but upset to let their son go. First few weeks were adventurous. Toured around the city made new friends. However, these friends were not my usual friends. Acouple months went by, and everything was fine. University was what I expected. A lot of work and sleepless nights in the library. This is how university is.
Liverpool is quite a small city, smaller than London. Everything is a walking distance, but diversity was lacking. There were not many Albanians around which felt weird because I’m used to seeing Albanians everywhere. If you enjoy clubbing and drinking, then it is a place for you. But personally I got bored of it very quickly, so I needed to change my ways for the better. This is where I found some brothers who diverted my attention to Islam. I learnt the true meaning of Islam which broadened my horizon and has led me to a better path so far.
Telling your parents, you want to take Islam more seriously was a challenge in the beginning because the concept of praying and going to the mosque was foreign for my parents. Nevertheless, they accepted it and so far, it has been going well.
First year of university went by so quickly, took me by surprise. During this time, I was not aware of any internships or insight days at all. So, if you are starting university, make sure you are aware of them as they will help you massively.
Now second year approached, and my university was going on and on about internships, but I did not understand the concept of them to be very honest. But, I started applying to every relevant internship I saw. However, I did not grasp how hard it was to get in. Rejection after rejection was something I had to get used too. Upon reflection, I realise my approach was wrong, I need to do something different, explore ways to be different. On LinkedIn I saw ALSA. I did not think much of it, but I started to read more about them which then led me to apply to volunteer.
I may not have an internship right now, but I am aware that my life has just started. Many more opportunities will arise. So, if you feel defeated, reflect, and explore other opportunities to make you stand out from everyone else.
Now starting with ALSA, there will be chances for me to connect and network with people from different lines of work. Growing up I didn’t have this opportunity as I am the first in my family to go to university… a feeling I know a lot of Albanians would understand.
Written By Bilbil M
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