My name is Roberta Spathari. I was born and raised in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Albania is a small country in South-Eastern Europe, surrounded by Italy, Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro. Located on the Eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea,  Albania is known for its Mediterranean weather, natural beauty, and amazing beaches across the Adriatic and Ionian coastline. Albania is also known for having a rich history that dates back to thousands of years ago, therefore the country is full of ancient ruins, some of them are protected by UNESCO, as well as a variety of ancient castles and other archaeological wonders.

I have always loved traveling, learning foreign languages, and being able to experience different cultures. Growing up I had the opportunity to visit a lot of European countries like France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Belgium, United Kingdom, Turkey, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia. Visiting all these amazing countries helped me get out of my comfort zone as well as become more open minded when it comes to experiencing new things. In addition to the obvious reasons such as a better education and better job opportunities, I decided to come to the United States for college because I have always been fascinated by the culture, and I wanted to experience it first-hand.

I started learning English in first grade, and I also grew up watching Disney shows, Hollywood movies and listened to U.S. /U.K. music artists. Therefore, by the time I moved here for college I was already fluent in English. Change is always a bit hard, and I do get homesick sometimes, but coming to the United States for college has been one of the best decisions of my life. It was a really smooth transition, because everyone here is really friendly and willing to help out.

I decided to come to St. Petersburg College because I have family here in Clearwater, and my cousins who attend SPC suggested I apply here. I am really happy I chose SPC to pursue my AA degree. This is my last semester here before I transfer to a university for Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and I am grateful for all the opportunities and wonderful memories at St. Petersburg College. I love taking classes at SPC because they are smaller-sized, so I have had the opportunity to connect with all my professors, who have also been amazing mentors. The past two years at SPC I have also been involved with different clubs such as The International Club, Phi Theta Kappa, MRSA as well as

Student Government Association. Being more involved on campus gave me the opportunity to create a lot of friendships, as well as connect with the advisors who have since been supportive towards my academic success. After joining the Honors Program here at SPC, a few months ago, I was also given the opportunity to work as a student assistant. Being an honors student at SPC as well as working at the Honors Program, has been an amazing experience. I am really glad I chose to enroll as a student at St. Petersburg College. In 5 years I hope to be working as a chemical engineer in the pharmaceutical industry.

Written by  Roberta Spathari, SPC student.