I have been asked who I am and where I am from countless times since I came to the U.S. In Hazara Town (Quetta, Pakistan), “a small town” of over 750,000 people, most people in my community knew me by my family name. Rarely did I ever have to introduce myself to new people. But now that I am emerging into the world of internet, not many people know me. So let me introduce myself to youofficially. 

My name is Nelofar but many of my friends and family in the U.S. call me “Nelo”; it is easy to remember and hard to mess up, right? Well … when I spell it out at a coffee shop, much to my disappointment, they always mess it up by writing “Melo” on my cup --a small price to pay for a cup of coffee. 

I came to the United States in 2012 to get an education. I did my high school in Minnesota and came for college in South Dakota. I am currently a senior at Dakota State University in Madison, a small town of over 7,000 people,literally! The bachelor’s degree I am pursuing in is called English for New Media, a program that is a combination of a regular English degree with an additional web focus, such as publishing and designing for traditional and new media. 

Now that you know I am an English nerd, you are also allowed to assume that I also love reading and writing. Because it is true. If I could, I would just sit and read in a coffee shop all day and everyday and do nothing else. But since that’s something I can’t really afford do at this point in my life, I have taken solace in the fact that I can just do my reading and writing in an office, a classroom or at my job. 

My passion for writing started when I started writing journals in eighth grade. You know, the kind of writing that starts with, “Dear Diary…” I am sure, we all know what that’s like. Please, don’t judge! Anyway, fairly soon after, I discovered writing for me was more than just a creative release, it was catharticand contemplative and I absolutely loved immersing myself into a world that I could create. So, when I came to the new world of the United States, I had more the reason to write and capture every little thing that I felt and experienced here. And that’s exactly I did. 

Through this blog, I hope to do the same. I hope to give the world a peek into my scattered thoughts, feelings and experiences as I live this beautiful dream that’s called ‘the college experience.’ So, for the next few weeks, keep visiting my blog to find out more about me, my university and the plans I have for my senior year as an undergraduate. 

Nelofar Sultan from Pakistan is a senior studying English for New Media at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota.