Introduction to Success
DUNNING — When Eldiar Emilbekov left his home in Kyrgyzstan and moved to Chicago, his only goal was survival.
Just over two years later, the 20-year-old has graduated from Wilbur Wright College as a valedictorian and earned a spot at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering.
“My family left everything behind. Though my parents didn’t speak English and had no connections here, we were filled with hope,” Emilbekov told the crowd during his Saturday graduation ceremony.
“Two years ago, I didn’t know if I could survive, let alone stand here today. You may have your own struggles — long work hours, family responsibilities and financial stress. But we made it. We didn’t quit.”
Achieving Greatness
Emilbekov was chosen to be one of City Colleges of Chicago’s seven valedictorians from a pool of more than 4,000 graduates. He was also selected to be one of two valedictorians who delivered a speech during the two graduation ceremonies Saturday.
Eldiar Emilbekov spoke at Wright’s Saturday graduation. Credit: Provided by City Colleges of Chicago/ Block Club Chicago
Emilbekov studied English for a few years in high school before he immigrated, but he said he’s still perfecting the language and was nervous to speak in front of so many people.
“I didn’t even know what a valedictorian was; I had to Google it,” he said. “At the time, my life was work, study, work, study, sometimes see my friends, work, study. I didn’t really see the small achievements that I’d made along the way, so I was like, ‘I don’t have much to talk about. Why did they pick me?’”
Shortly after being selected, Emilbekov met with Doris Espiritu, dean of Wright’s Center of Excellence for Engineering and Computer Science. Espiritu assured Emilbekov he had a unique story — he just had to figure out how to tell it.
Education is the Key
Emilbekov dreamed about moving to the United States for years.
Growing up in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Emilbekov always wanted to attend college abroad. Emilbekov said he loved to study and got interested in coding at a young age.
“My dad had a friend who studied in the U.S. and said once you get your education there, you can go back to your country and make an impact,” Emilbekov said.
When Emilbekov was a senior in high school, his father applied for the green card lottery and won. Emilbekov said his parents emphasized the importance of education and decided to immigrate to the United States because they wanted to give him and his younger sister access to the best schools.
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