Safia Bashir

High School: Maine Girl's Academy 

Intended Major: Biology 

Possible Career: Medical Research possibly in Cancer or Genetics

Words:  Curious, imaginative, observant, and hopeful. 

Name a person you admire.

My mother, Fatuma Hussein, is the person I admire most. At the age of twelve, she arrived in the United States alone without any belongings. Yet, she somehow created a home in a predominantly white state in a small town for my seven siblings and me to live and strive. Despite our cultural and at times religious differences, she understood that I enjoyed reading, learning about animals, and fascinated with nature. She never imposed traditional beliefs that a woman had to stay in the house. I'm lucky to have had a childhood in which my parents loved and supported me, and for that, I'm grateful. 

What is something you are proud of in your life so far?

When most people meet me, they often describe me as introverted or timid. For a while, I believed that these were disadvantages in order to be successful. However, in the summer of 2015, I decided after the death of my cousin to take a gap year and volunteer full-time at an orphanage in Cape Town, South Africa. It was my first experience traveling by myself and it was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time. I can't explain how proud I was to be able to live with complete strangers and bond with children that weren't my siblings. In Cape Town, I hiked my first mountain, I walked along the boardwalks at night, I learned countless songs and laughed at my attempts to speak kosa, I met beautiful and extraordinary people, and I learned that there is more to life than worrying about academics.