Today, itās American citizenship day, a chance to reflect back on the last couple of decades.
In 2001, I was living an Indian expatriateās life in Saudi Arabia, trying to put my entrepreneurial skills to work in a software startup. This wasnāt my first rodeo in the software business. I had a successful track record as a serial entrepreneur in India. However, Saudi Arabia was different – as an immigrant, I was not welcome.
Flash forward three years: I landed in the United States, putting everything on the line to take my chances in a country Iād been told was the land of the free and where opportunity was available to all.
I had little money, no contacts nor relatives, and didnāt know where to start. All I had was my education and a will to succeed. Thankfully, that was all I needed.
America is set up for the dreamers and the bold, it has a way of helping the ones who dare to take a chance.
Itās been 15 years since. In that time, I brought my son from India and raised him as a single parent, putting him through university at Virginia Tech. Heās now chasing the American dream in his own way.
In my time here, Iāve built two successful companies employing over 200 people in America and India. I went from sharing a basement to living in downtown Bethesda.
This wouldnāt have been possible if it wasnāt for the people of this country. I wouldnāt be who I am or where I am if it wasnāt for this great country accepting me and others like me.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you America, and a happy citizenship day to all!