In her own words
Merdith Spahic
Growing up as a first-generation child was a difficult yet rewarding journey. The hard part was the pressure of making proper and honorable decisions to make my parents sacrifice worth it. Another hard aspect was the constant pressure of figuring out the American way of life at such a young age without much guidance. Also, living in poverty between the ages of two and fifteen brought more obstacles to overcome, one of which was the desire to escape from poverty. At that time, escaping poverty was a dream. Thankfully, today I’m not in those conditions, but I know the reality of what it’s like to live in poverty and how my family and I felt. I must say, however, that now as adult, all of those obstacles molded me into the compassionate and driven woman I am today, which for me is beyond rewarding. For that reason, attending Chatham University as a first-generation student is about turning my passion into a reality. With that in mind, my passion has always been the arts. My family discouraged me from pursuing this artistic field, because they come from a culture where a career in the arts was rare; however, I still continue to pursue my dream. I’m currently majoring in Arts Management with a concentration in studio art and art history. Also, I’m obtaining a certificate in international studies with a concentration in Europe and a minor in French. I choose to study this because it is essential for me to expand my knowledge and connections to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming an international curator and artist, and to be a positive idol for any first-generation child to show that his or her dream is in fact possible to achieve.