Coming to America

Things were different when Abramian first came to the United States, where he hoped to get an education.

He worked for a Boston software company for a short time after defecting from the Soviet Union in 1981, but didn't enjoy the job.

So he took a job as a security guard at Harvard--the "best job for students," he says, since it leaves time to concentrate on schoolwork.

With SAT scores in the upper 7th percentile in math and the upper 20th percentile in English, Abramian was accepted to Harvard as a "special student" and took a mix of Extension School and regular Faculty of Arts and Sciences classes. His favorite professors included Theda Skocpol, now professor of government and sociology, and Richard Pipes, a Cold War expert and Baird research professor of history.

His Harvard job also allowed him to purchase a car and a condominium in nearby Acton, Mass.

"It was easy for me," he says. "I lived in my condominium, had a car. I took two classes each semester and summer--six classes for 10 percent of [tuition]."

But once he lost his job at Harvard, Abramian could not afford to take classes without the employee tuition discount. He was unable to make payments on his car or house, and was quickly out on the streets.