What makes you a Difference Maker?
“I don't see obstacles, I see solutions.” I didn’t allow the bumpy roads in my life to stand in my way of aiming higher for success. My path was indeed nontraditional, yet unique. I learned that there is no one formula or road to be a successful student. But there are requirements of hard work, ambitiousness and inner power. I definitely believe that a person should create his own brand of success that is tailored to his own life demands. I strive to compare myself to my past and create a better version of myself for the future.
Against the odds and the stereotypes of being a young mother of three children, I went to work on B.A. in criminal justice studies, and B.S. in biological sciences, with a passion concentrated on forensic sciences.
In fact, this stereotype of diminishing the ability of a nontraditional student established a great motivation and desire to disprove this stigma.
This motivation was fueled by persistence and resistance. My passion for learning went beyond attending courses and earning degrees in two different fields of studies.
One of the most interesting aspects of all of this was that my children grew up watching me being a hardworking mother and student. This eventually inserts in them the passion for education and the importance of leadership roles.
Highlight your campus achievements:
- Student Mentor-Forensic Science Evidence in criminal cases
- Pre-Law Association-President
- Wolverine Leadership Cohort-2017
- She's The First-Global representative
- Global Citizenship Award-The Washington Center for Academic Seminars and Internships
- Meeting of the Minds Research presenter-2016 "Inside the Judicial Mind: Cognitive Bias and Heuristics”-
- Meeting of the Minds 2017-Research 2017-"Understanding Islamophobia in USA: Its impact on American Muslim Women in Particular and the Importance of their Role in Facing the Issue"
- 3rd Annual MLK Engagement Day 2017-Presenter
Highlight your leadership experiences both on and off campus:
I’m not only active on campus and in the community, but I’m also a proactive student. I go above and beyond in chasing opportunities of improving and learning through academic and leadership experiences. I don't like to gain, but I enjoy giving back and transfer this passion of learning to others. I always believe in the ability of impacting others by allowing our positive vibes to be contagious to others.
I participated Meeting of the Minds and presented a research in Spring 2016. I’m currently working on another research to present at the upcoming Meeting of the Minds, 2017.
I spent my summer at The Washington Center for Academic Seminars and Internships, and I have completed the criminal justice and law track. During my stay in D.C., I interned at the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Furthermore, I served as a fellow teacher at the Global Language Network, where I taught Arabic for professionals.
At the local level, I completed an internship at the Washtenaw County public defender office, where I gained a rich experience in criminal courts for two consecutive semesters.
I do believe that student organizations represent a miniature of real world career industries. Therefore, being involved with them, is a free opportunity for students to exercise their leadership skills and excel in them. Taking several leadership roles on campus has helped me evaluate my skills and abilities; these roles have allowed me to extract my strengths, such as micromanagement, planning and organizing. In addition, they have allowed me to detect what areas of leadership skills I may lack and need to improve. I took advantage of all leadership workshops offered by the Office of Student Engagement on campus. These opportunities helped me benefit my organization and allowed me to enrich my leadership skills.
What is your dream career and/or long term life goal?
As a person who thinks about education as a passionate journey, instead of a requirement in order to gain a career, I’d like to pursue higher education. As a person who can't stand injustice in any mean, I aim to study law and pursue a Juris Doctor degree.
Prior to this, I’d like to gain more hands-on experience in finding a job where I can exercise my strong abilities and skills and build up new ones, in the field of advocacy, forensic science or the government field.
What was your most defining moment at UM-Dearborn?
My most defining moment on campus was when my professor, Judge Donald Shelton, offered me a job as a student mentor for his class— forensic sciences evidence in criminal cases.
My other great defining moment was off campus when I received The Global Citizenship Award during my commencement ceremony at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in Summer 2016. This award honors diversity by fostering community among diverse TWC population.
It gave me lots of pride and humbleness for two main reasons. First, by being one of the five students who received an award among international and national interns gave me the honor of representing the name of my university in a valuable way. Second, It gave me the opportunity to reflect a positive image of an American Muslim woman, which is an identity I’m proud of.