Meet Your Neighbor: Intizor Safarova

I moved to the United States from Uzbekistan last year with my family.  We are a family of six, and I’m the oldest, so it is my responsibility to help my parents and teach my siblings.

I didn’t speak English at all when I moved here, so I never wanted to leave the house.  Since no one in my family speaks English, I told myself, ‘You have to study, you have to be brave.’ So, I signed up for English classes at Queens Community House.

The first day, I was so nervous. But on the second day I was very happy. The more confident I became with English, the more I branched out. Now I am taking a training course to become a medical assistant. When I complete my course, I’m going to begin working so I can contribute at home. After that, I will start classes at Queens College.  I want to be a doctor and give back to the community I’ve found here.
 
My family is Muslim, and I am very proud of our religion. Sometimes girls my age feel pressured to get married and start a family, but my parents are very supportive of my career. I'm glad my siblings are growing up here, so they can also have many accomplishments.