Marwa Rahim, 22 years old
I was born in the war, I grew up in the war, and I went to school during the war.
I once watched a TV series called “Heart Surgeon” and I dreamed of one day becoming a doctor and helping as many people as possible, especially women.
I worked hard in high school, reading a lot in my free time. During the summer, I take optional English and math courses. I got good grades despite the poor facilities and learning resources in the Afghan education system.
There was no medical school in the province where I was born, so I went to another province, five hours away, to study medicine. That province was very dangerous, with attacks and bomb threats all around us as the war continued. I live in a dorm, in a small room with 10 other girls. Loud talking makes learning difficult; no libraries, and often no electricity. During the day, I have to study in the hallway. There are very few resources such as books, lab equipment, and computers.
Then all the universities closed because of the pandemic, and our classes and even our lab went online. We didn’t have lab equipment at home, so a teacher suggested we use a magnifying glass instead of a microscope. When we were assigned to a laboratory to study malaria, the teacher suggested that we take blood from an insect and test it.
Now that I’m in Houston, I want to continue my education, even if I have to start over, to be a great doctor, helping people in Afghanistan and going to other countries with victims of war. I have a plan to encourage and inspire women with my success, never give up. I want my family and friends to be proud of me, and to be a useful person to the land that is now home to us all.
