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As I reflect on what America has given me, I find myself looking back thousands of miles and many decades to a different place and time. My story did not begin in America. It began in India, where I grew up in a family that deeply valued education despite having very little access to it.

I am a first-generation high school graduate in my immediate family. My father left school early to help support his family and worked first in coal mines and later in a steel plant. Like many families in post-independence India, we understood that education was the one pathway capable of creating opportunities where none existed. We did not have wealth, influence, or connections. We had hope, determination, and an unwavering belief that learning could transform lives.

India gave me my first opportunities. It provided the foundation upon which everything else would be built. Dedicated teachers in public schools, inspiring professors at the University of Allahabad, and a society that increasingly valued education shaped my aspirations. Those opportunities allowed me to dream beyond the circumstances into which I was born.

America then gave me something equally powerful: the freedom to pursue those dreams without limits.

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When I arrived in North America as an international student, I carried little more than ambition and gratitude. What I discovered was a country that believed ideas mattered more than background, where hard work and innovation could open doors, and where individuals were encouraged not only to think differently but also to turn ideas into action.

America gave me access to world-class education, the opportunity to earn advanced degrees, and the privilege of building a career in higher education spanning more than three decades. Along the way, I served as a faculty member, department chair, dean, provost, senior vice president, and, most recently, Maryland's Secretary of Higher Education.

Yet the greatest gift America gave me was not professional success. It was the opportunity to create opportunities for others.

Throughout my career, I have worked with community colleges, universities, state leaders, employers, and community organizations to expand educational access for students who, like me, came from families with limited resources. Many were first-generation college students. Many balanced work, family responsibilities, and school while wondering whether higher education was truly meant for people like them.

Together, we built pathways connecting education to economic mobility. We expanded early college programs, strengthened transfer agreements, created workforce partnerships, and launched programs in information technology, biotechnology, cybersecurity, engineering, and health sciences. Thousands of students gained access to education and training that led to meaningful, family-sustaining careers.

Watching a student become the first person in their family to attend college, secure a career in cybersecurity, biotechnology, information technology, or healthcare, purchase a home, and build a better future for their children has been among the greatest privileges of my life. Their success stories remind me of my own journey and reaffirm a truth that has guided my work for decades: talent is universal, but opportunity is not.

One of America's greatest strengths is its belief that opportunity should never be reserved for a privileged few. Public investment in education—especially higher education—helped build one of the largest and most diverse middle classes in history. It transformed millions of lives while fueling America's economic strength, innovation, and global leadership.

The lesson I have learned is both simple and profound. Access to higher education and economic prosperity are inseparable. When students gain access to education, they gain access to opportunity. When opportunity expands, families rise, communities prosper, businesses grow, and innovation flourishes. Everyone benefits.

As we celebrate Independence Day, I am grateful for both countries that shaped my life. India gave me the foundation to dream. America gave me the opportunity to turn those dreams into reality. Together, they made possible a life devoted not only to personal achievement but also to helping others realize their own potential.

Reflecting on more than three decades since I first crossed the Atlantic, I have come to appreciate even more deeply the single reason that inspired me to travel nearly 10,000 miles from home: America is a land of opportunity. America's greatest gift to me was not success or privilege—it was opportunity. And the truest way I know to honor that gift is to help ensure that the next generation, regardless of where they begin, has the same chance to dream, to achieve, and to give back.

The writer is the Former Secretary of Maryland Higher Education.  

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad.)

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