I fled Iran and made it to the US when I was 18. I worked my way up from gas station cashier to the CEO of a billion-dollar company.

"My childhood in Iran was normal and stable. Then, when the Iranian Revolution started, chaos and violence were everywhere. I was arrested the first time when I was walking down the street. The second time, I was 15, and was arrested on charges of having a book. I can't even remember what the book was. The Revolutionary Guards who were arresting me were about my age themselves, and they were looking for anyone who was trying to educate themselves."

"Getting into the US was difficult at the time for Iranians, because it was soon after the Iranian Hostage Crisis. I applied to college and was able to get a visa to attend. I'd been accepted to a private college, but I couldn't afford that, so soon after I immigrated, I transferred to a state school. My parents were still in Iran, and I needed to support myself."

Shirin Behzadi immigrated to the United States from Iran at age 18 after arrests and increasing danger during the Iranian Revolution. She secured a student visa and transferred from a private college to a state school because of cost. She worked as a gas station cashier behind bulletproof glass to support herself, enduring long, lonely shifts and holidays away from family. She began her career in accounting while maintaining a focus on leading a company. She later became CEO of Home Franchise Concepts, demonstrating resilience, determination, and leadership through a challenging immigrant experience.

Read at Business Insider