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When Adnan Barqawi, a senior business-management major and regimental commander of the corps of cadets, came to Virginia Tech and the United States in July 2005, he--like many immersed in an unfamiliar culture--felt his experiences changing him in unexpected ways.

"The East and West are opposite ends of the spectrum. In the East, the governments control education; we're taught that the Holocaust isn't real." There were pages missing from his history book, he recalls, even though he was educated in a private British school.

"In the United States, we are ultimately responsible for who we become. There is freedom of thought, the freedom to be who you are."

Barqawi's grandfather was a Palestinian who immigrated to Kuwait when his father was three years old. "I was born and raised in Kuwait, but I was still considered a Palestinian--in the Middle East, you are a citizen of the country of your ancestors. I considered myself a man without a country."

Barqawi knew, however, that he wanted to come to the United States to pursue higher education. "I chose Virginia because [the state motto] said, 'Virginia is for Lovers,' and I chose Virginia Tech because the campus looked beautiful in the photos I saw."

Upon arriving at Virginia Tech, Barqawi saw a cadet in uniform. "I asked him, 'How do I become like you, sir?'" The cadet told Barqawi the mission statement of the corps of cadets: to develop leaders of exemplary character who are committed to the concept of selfless service and are prepared to serve the commonwealth and the nation. Barqawi signed up.

Though Barqawi found acceptance among his fellow cadets, his journey to becoming a lieutenant colonel in their ranks wasn't without its hurdles. "When I first heard the command, 'On your face!' I stuck my cheek on the floor. I realized I had no clue what a push-up looked like." In fact, coming from Kuwait, where temperatures can reach 114 degrees, Barqawi had little experience with physical exercise.

Yet with the support of his fellow cadets, Barqawi pushed on, overcoming these limitations to become regimental commander, and today leads more than 700 people. He credits the corps with helping him to know what kind of leader he wanted to be and with granting its members leeway to make leadership mistakes without consequences.

"I've accomplished more than I expected," Barqawi says. "I am indebted to this nation and what it's given me."

Barqawi says the quality of education and the curriculum at Tech, along with the leadership and discipline training of the corps, contributed significantly to his personal growth.

After graduation, he plans to spend two years with the Teach for America program, established in 1990 to bridge the education gap between the middle and lower classes by providing instructors in under-funded schools.

"I am so much closer to where I wanted to be, to whom I dreamt of becoming," reflects Barqawi, who aspires to a future as a U.S. ambassador.