Autobiography – Rustam Sharipov

Chris BeecherAbout the Authors, Previous Editions

My name is Rustam Sharipov. I was born and raised in Russia. I went to school in Russia until seventh grade. At that moment my family moved over to the United States. When I first got to United States everything looked unusual and different to me. I did not know the language to speak with people. My parents decided that it was a good idea to send me to summer school. During summer school, I learned some English language, American customs, and got a general idea about American schools. When the Fall started I went to eighth grade in middle school. Throughout the year, my language skills increased significantly, but I was still unable to fully understand American school books and complex conversations. I did like computer classes and science classes. These classes did not require much skill in language. Everything was based on experiments, scientific laws, and a basic understanding of computer programs.

After finishing middle school in the United States, I went to high school for four years. My first years in high school were not so bright. I didn’t know that there are universities such as CSUN. I did not really see the point in going to school. I found out about college half way through my junior year. At that moment I understood that grades are important for any university. I started to study every subject and realized that I really liked chemistry, biology, and computer classes. During my senior year I did my best in terms of grades and applied only to California State University, Northridge.

When I got accepted to CSUN, my happiness did not have a limit. The feeling of courage, pride, and joy filled my mind. I started with selecting a major in public health with a goal of becoming a medical doctor someday. Only a semester later I found out that I picked the wrong major. However, it was still early when I realized it. My second semester at CSUN, I changed my major to biochemistry. Taking courses such as English, Psychology, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Sociology really increased my knowledge. Just by looking into different fields like chemistry, I realized that biochemistry is a major which I will like throughout my years at CSUN.

During my first semester at CSUN, I took an English course with Professor Reynolds. Throughout this course I learned how to write complex essays on different kind of topics. One of my essays was about the city of Los Angeles and what I see in it. I wrote about different kind of architecture, sculptures, and art pieces. I named this essay-Rustam’s Los Angeles. At the moment, I didn’t think that I would turn this essay into New Voices. I am very satisfied that I can write an essay such as Rustam’s Los Angeles. Knowing that I started learning English as my second language only about six years ago, I can say that I did pretty well. I know that theres no limit in learning. However, I still have a lot of time to increase my knowledge and style as a writer.