Victoria Modesta was born in Latvia in 1987 when it was still part of the USSR. When she was 12, her family moved to the United Kingdom. While there, she was relentlessly bullied by other students for her limp, and consequently left school at the age of 14. She took refuge in London’s alternative club scene, finding her interests in fashion, music, and performance. 

   However, she felt held back by her left leg, which was injured when she was born. Due to negligent doctors at the time of her birth, she had to undergo 15 failed surgeries before voluntarily agreeing to the amputation of her leg at the age of 20. She decribes her decision as finally severing something that was restricting her from building her own identity. Pop culture groups initially rejected her because of a 5 stigma toward people with disabilities. Nevertheless, Modesta has said she does not see herself as disabled, and it has only inspired her to challenge society’s views. She hopes he video will spark a discussion about people with disabilities so that a handicap will no longer define a person’s identity. Her message to everyone is: “Forget what anyone said you can’t do. Only you know what you are capable of and only you know who you truly are. Stay honest and look for things and people that make you happy.”

   A. If sheer numbers provide any proof, America’s universities and colleges are the envy of the world. While fully 60% of all U.S. high school graduates attend college at some point in their life, just 30% of the comparable German population, 28% of the French, 20% of the British and 37% of the Japanese proceed beyond high school. German students who survive the Abitur or Britons who pass their A levels may still

 not qualify for a top university at home, but find American universities far more welcoming. Some U.S. schools acknowledge the rigor of European secondary training and will give up to a year’s credit to foreigners who have passed their high school exams.

    Many foreign students are attracted not only to the academic programs at a particular U.S. college but also to the larger community, which affords the chance to soak up the surrounding culture. Few foreign universities put much emphasis on the cozy communal life that characterizes American campuses: from clubs and sports teams to student publications and theatrical societies. Foreign students also come in search of choices. America’s menu of options—research universities, state institutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions, military academies—is unrivaled. While students overseas usually must demonstrate expertise in a single field, most American universities insist that students sample natural and social sciences, languages and literature before choosing a field of concentration.

   entration. Such opposing philosophies grow out of different traditions and power structures. In Europe and Japan universities are answerable only to a Ministry of Education, which sets academic standards and distributes money. While centralization ensures that all students are equipped with roughly the same resources and perform at roughly the same level, it also discourages experimentation. U.S. colleges, on the other hand, are so responsive to cultural currents that they are often on the cutting edge of social change.

   In some respects, the independent spirit of the American university that foreigners admire comes down to dollars and cents. All U.S. colleges, private and public alike, must fight vigorously to stay alive. They compete not only for students but also for faculty and research grants. Such competition, though draining and distracting, can stimulate creativity and force administrators to remain attentive to student needs. In other words, U.S. students pay for their education, and demand a commensurate value for what they—or their parents—pay. Most universities abroad have state funding, but that luxury has a steep price: universities have less opportunity to develop distinctive personalities and define their own missions. On the other hand, these state-funded universities suffer less from the financial crisis, which

will definitely impact the quality of education in American colleges.