By Students around the world are currently returning to school for their first semester of a new grade. Most will be attending the same school as they’ve done for previous years. But for students like Mahbuba, many will be starting a new stage in their life.
Mahbuba Sumiya is a college freshman due to start at Harvard University in Boston this fall. Along with acceptances to several prestigious universities, she has been awarded scholarships due to her excellent academic performance in high school.
I had the honor of speaking with Mahbuba to help the readers of Muslim Girl get to know her better, and find out where this passion for education stems from.
Muslim Girl: Before we speak about your achievements in school, we’d like to hear more about who you are. What do you like to do in your free time?
Mahbuba Sumiya: My name is Mahbuba Sumiya and I am from Detroit, Michigan.
I have a deep passion for public service because it allows me to give back to my community and uplift others that are marginalized.
I like being part of making changes and reminding people about the importance of our voices. My aim is to ensure none of our communities are forgotten when making a decision for all.
My involvement in several projects throughout high school (such as warm clothing drives for people in need, advocating for health care globally, and teaching middle school students how to code) has made me who I am today. I strive to provide this opportunity to others as well.
MG: You decided to attend Harvard, but what other universities were you accepted to?
Alongside Harvard, I was accepted to Columbia University (received a likely letter- a message sent to a selected group of students about their acceptance before the official admission date), Stanford University, and University of Michigan Ann Arbor. These are the only four institutions I applied to.
My involvement in several projects throughout high school (such as warm clothing drives for people in need, advocating for health care globally, and teaching middle school students how to code) has made me who I am today.
MG: Going into high school, what was your plan? What did you do to make sure you would get to the Ivies?
MS: College was a tricky topic in my household. There’s always a tension between financial support, and willingness for continuous learning. The feeling of loneliness and abandonment of knowledge about colleges were the norms.
Going into high school, I wish everyone around me normalized applying to colleges like the Ivies. I felt victimized by the past college acceptances of my school. It was hard to overcome the pressure of being the first student from an under-resourced public high school to apply to prestigious institutions.
I was one of those kids afraid of telling people about colleges that interested me because I knew it would be considered unconventional. To this day, I often wonder how I did it.
From not having enough resources for challenging courses to lack of stories about college experiences, my decision to work for what I want in life and desire to improve my circumstances was pivotal.
Going into high school, I wish everyone around me normalized applying to colleges like the Ivies. I felt victimized by the past college acceptances of my school. It was hard to overcome the pressure of being the first student from an under-resourced public high school to apply to prestigious institutions.
MG: Were there any difficulties along the way? How did you overcome them?
MS: Throughout high school, I had an intense hunger for knowledge and opportunities. Nothing was given to me (such as resources to prepare for standardized tests, advanced courses or scholarship application advice).
Still, I made sure I created and sought those opportunities for myself. I lived by the motto that I have the resources within me to make a dream reality.
Getting into an Ivy was my dream since the first day of high school because I wanted to be an example and resource for the students of color in my community who aspire to obtain a similar goal as mine, something I wished I had.
MG: Who would you say was your inspiration to get to where you are now (attending Harvard)?
MS: When I was growing up, my older siblings played an important role in how I learned to empathize with those around me. My oldest brother is a doctor, another a computer scientist, so I grew up hearing stories about how terrifying it is to work in a room full of dead bodies, or how satisfying it is to program at 3 a.m. with Lofi beats playing in the background.
Most importantly, they taught me the pleasure of helping others. My siblings helped me recognize my responsibility to others. They were my mentors and role models.
When I was ten, I moved to Michigan with my parents but without my siblings. For the first time, I felt I didn’t have anyone to ask for help. It was challenging to communicate with my parents because I had always turned to my siblings for everything.
None of my siblings had ever lived in Michigan, so everything I shared when we talked on the phone sounded foreign to them. This included the ways I described school and the culture shocks I was juggling.
Although they were unsure about what advice to give me, they reminded me of my responsibility to others who were going through the same thing as me. They often reminded me of the importance of finding ways to contribute to the community.
MG: Despite not started college yet, do you have a particular career in mind that you’d like to pursue post-graduation?
MS: I hardly knew how to turn on a computer and type in middle school, but I was eager to learn about them. I did not know what kind of career could combine my multidisciplinary interests in computers and design until I went to my high school’s career exploration fair.
I met an engineer who had made glasses to allow blind people to see 3-D images of their surroundings. I was blown away when I got the chance to try out the glasses.
When I asked her how she was able to make this, she told me, “Just be curious.”
Her advice ignited my interest in pursuing research, programming, and engineering in high school and in the future become a biomedical engineer, which would allow me to look at real-life problems creatively.
MG: What’s a piece of advice you’d give to fellow Muslim girls who will also be applying to college in the next few years?
MS: Approach the college application season with a growth mindset and embrace any lessons you learned throughout your time in high school. You are the people you surround yourself with, so be around people who encourage you to strive for excellence.
Your authentic self shows who you are and the characteristics that make you a unique individual. Don’t compromise a part of yourself to fit into your assumptions about a college.
Examine yourself and identify what opportunities are given to you. You can’t force something to happen, but the capability to unlock what you want is within you.
We thank Mahbuba for taking the time to speak with us at Muslim Girl. We wish her nothing but success in your new chapter at Harvard University!