Faces of Our Strategic Plan: Jessica Bitar

Faces of Our Strategic Plan: Jessica Bitar

For Jessica Bitar, the United States has always meant the promise of a brighter future. In September 2018, that promise became a reality when her family moved from Kuwait to the US, embarking on a new chapter in their lives.

Originally from Syria, Bitar’s family moved to Kuwait when Bitar was very young for her father’s work and she lived there for 14 years.

“I went to school there, it was

pretty great,” Bitar said, “But since we were immigrants in Kuwait as well, we weren’t able to stay there forever because my dad was the only one working and he wouldn’t be able to work after a certain age.”

Faced with the looming threat of unemployment due to the terms of her father’s visa, Bitar’s parents had to find somewhere else to live. They planned to move back to Syria in 2010 to be near their extended family again and even

bought a house there. Their plans were derailed when war broke out in Syria in 2011. Bitar and her family soon learned the house they bought in Syria had been destroyed as a result of the conflict and a lot of people there began fleeing to safer places.

“We never ended up moving to Syria, my dad would’ve loved for us to live there but it just never happened,” Bitar said.

The Bitar family’s future was very unclear at that point as poverty

became a very real possibility with her dad soon unable to work in Kuwait.

“We knew we had to leave Kuwait but we didn’t know where we were going. Things were very hard for my dad because he was the one providing for my family and at some point he was going to lose his job and things would’ve been bad,” Bitar said.

In the background, Bitar’s uncle had started the process that would allow them to join him in the US.

“We had always wanted to come to the US but we didn’t know if it was going to happen because not a lot of people get this opportunity,” Bitar said. In 2018, their wait was over, and the Bitar family gained entry to the US. Finally, Bitar and her family were able to start making their dreams happen.

“I knew that coming here would’ve been a better future for me. It wasn’t just more career opportunities, I was very excited to see my family and happy that I knew people here and that I wasn’t completely alone,” Bitar said. Along with all of this hope for her future in a new country came a healthy dose of fear and doubt.

“It was totally different for me— different language, different

people, I was going to come to a whole new school where I barely knew anybody there I didn’t know how things were going to go.”

One of the major hurdles Bitar faced was adapting to the American educational system. As a freshman in high school, she found herself grappling with both the demands at school and learning how to

said.

Although Bitar is very busy with her studies this year, she still values family time and spends time with them in the evening. Bitar deeply admires her parents, who spent years worrying and working to bring her to the US.

“I look up to both my parents. They brought me to this country and they’ve worked very hard for me and now I’m hoping to return the favor and work hard to hopefully make them proud,” Bitar said.

speak English. Despite these challenges, Bitar finished high school and enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC). She chose to pursue a career in finance, drawn to the fact that she could work almost anywhere.

Bitar worked at the MHCC advising center last year, managing meetings and aiding students, a job she very much enjoyed.

“I got to know more about the school and how things work here and it was an honor to work with the advisors,” Bitar

Bitar is in her second year at MHCC and she plans to transfer to Portland State University (PSU) in the fall of 2024 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in finance. After earning degree at PSU, Bitar has a few paths she may take, such as earning a master’s or doctorate degree, becoming a professor at a college, or working in a large firm.

When asked what advice she’d give to people who are new to the US, Bitar talked about how vital it is to stay the course and not give up.

“Never give up no matter how hard things get because it will get better in the future,” Bitar said, “Do what you love and follow your dreams.”

“Never give up no matter how hard things get because it will get better in the future. Do what you love and follow your dreams.”

-Jessica Bitar