From 17 college rejections to 1700 new opportunities. Getting rejected from my American Dream Universities was the biggest opening I could have ever had. My struggle to accept these 17 college rejections made me realize that they were never rejections, but rather redirections to the life I was always meant to lead. Maria Bechara is an 18 year-old undergraduate student at the American University of Beirut. As someone who has always dreamed of leaving Lebanon and starting her own journey somewhere new, her mission is to share with you her experience of living in her country as a college student after being rejected from multiple American universities. This year her mindset has changed completely and today she approaches living in Lebanon in a completely different way. She hopes her talk will inspire other teenagers out there to believe in Lebanon and the opportunities it has to offer, to spread hope and to work towards rebuilding her country. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx