One-Way Ticket Across the World

The first time Sadir Islam ’23 ever got on a plane, it was a one-way ticket en route to halfway across the world. He glanced fleetingly out the airplane window as the engines rumbled to life, catching a last glimpse of his birthplace while the plane swept him into the clouds.

“I was clueless and confused on the plane, and I was mostly just happy when I got here,” Islam said. At just seven years old, Islam didn’t fully understand what was happening as he stepped out of the plane and into the crisp Chicago air. He knew that he was in America, but he hadn’t yet caught up with what had actually happened.

“My parents argued about the decision to move… but they both wanted a better life and more opportunities,” continued Islam. To uproot everything they’d ever known and begin a new life in a strange country was a huge risk. But Islam’s parents had some connections in America, along with a little hope. The family packed their belongings and prepared for the transition.

In Bangladesh, dull, broken-down shops lined the street, some nearly empty. In Chicago, the buildings were structured, gleaming and majestic even in the downpour of rain. “There was more color to the city,” Islam described. America was a completely different world, and he was here for good.

Islam started second grade at Roosevelt Elementary. He enrolled in ELL, where he made new friends and realized that many of the kids moved for the same reason his family did. Islam says that, although he isn’t close with those friends anymore, they really helped him adjust to his new life.

As his eighth grade year ended, Islam came across a YouTube video that popped up in his “suggested” feed. It was about software engineering. Islam opened his laptop and followed the instructions in the video, intrigued. He kept watching videos and began to experiment with data and software on his own. His interest in software engineering eventually grew into a passion.

One of Islam’s idols is Steve Jobs. Jobs began his career in his garage, working on his own projects at first and later starting a company that is now one of the most prosperous in the world, Apple. Islam has decided that he will start out as a solo developer, then possibly build his own company as well and become the CEO. “I want to work with software, web design, and mobile apps,” Islam said. “And maybe something with robots, too,” he added.

The next time Islam was in Bangladesh was two years ago. He remembers walking down the street and seeing homeless people asking for food. Feeling helpless, he handed them some money. Islam lived with his entire family back in Bangladesh, recounting junk food and nearly-expired apples. “I mostly just skipped school, and the education was pretty bad,” he said. Despite that, Islam smiles as he describes a happy memory. “It was my fifth birthday, and I ate a feast with my friends and family.”

This year marked the halfway point in Islam’s life – he’s been in America for as long as he was in Bangladesh. It was a difficult transition, he said, but if he had stayed in Bangladesh, he wouldn’t have discovered his passion for software engineering and considered it a real career idea. “I would probably just own a shop like my uncles,” Islam replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“The most important thing, I think, is to have a job that you enjoy,” Islam said. Islam aims to find a way to give back to his family, especially his parents. Their decision to move definitely changed his life for the better and revealed more opportunities that would be nonexistent in Bangladesh. Now, Islam can give back to his parents while using the opportunity they gifted him.