100 handwritten applications

I am profoundly grateful for my family's journey. My parents both hail from small cities in Romania—Brăila and Piatra Neamț. To pursue higher education, they had to move to Bucharest, the capital. However, it wasn’t that simple. In Communist Romania, if you didn't pass the university entrance exam on your first try, you were conscripted into mandatory military service for two years. After facing  all these challenges in their home country, my parents decided to chase the "American Dream," moving to the United States to pursue their PhDs. That's where I was born.

I feel privileged to have received the education I have today, knowing how hard my parents worked to create opportunities that were scarce in their hometowns. My father once told me how he had to send over 100 handwritten applications to American universities, hoping to secure a spot. It made me realize how much easier it is for us now—we can apply online and discover countless opportunities with just a click.

Technology has profoundly changed the lives of our parents' generation, alleviating many of the struggles they faced. It's a powerful tool that we must continue to leverage to build on their legacy and create even more opportunities for the future!

Raluca Ioana Niculescu on 30/08/2024