My name is Ismahan Ahmed I am a Somali Immigrant, my family fled Somalia when I was 6 years old therefore I have little to no memory. My parents informed us that they did not take us to school prior to coming to the United States because, during the first 6 years of my life, we were refugees traveling from city to country to refugee camps. Skip to 4th grade 3 years after coming to the US i no longer had an accent in speaking English and I i was placed in GIFTed classes. I enjoyed math science and reading, writing came naturally as storytelling was something my father did every evening. I dare to go back to school at 30 years old and with 2 children. Being a refugee coming from a war-torn country and a first-generation college student. I was the first to apply and be accepted into a four-year university. Not initially prepared for the struggles of working full-time and helping my parents and younger siblings, I missed the opportunity to complete course work instead I chose to work. Having worked and succeeded in helping my parent financially and younger siblings get into 4 colleges/universities. At this time in my life having had children of my own and getting laid off during COVID-19 pandemic. I lost the only source of income and to return I was required to have a higher education as the company was expanding to home health care. I was devasted with two children and no source of income. Unemployment helped but I was always worried when I would run out, I was unwell as I was going to pregnant and fear or being outdoors, I did not know what o expect. I was borderline diabetic partially due to my lack of mobility and being indoors cooking. I have come to the realization education is nothing that can be delayed any further, it's not something that one can do without. I want to show my children to never give up to dream and take advantage of their education I am more than motivated now to complete the coursework that remains and be more employable and further improve the skills I possess through educating myself. Also, to be able to contribute more to my society and pass those qualities on to the next generation. This was also an additional source of stress because it takes away from my ability to work or pay for childcare online school was the only option and that too was not easy while breastfeeding and not having sleep. I decided my passion was in health care more so in Nursing which was something I had put in the back burner to help my family grow. After 2 years I still am dealing with some of physical and mental health problems, but I have signed up for BetterHelp virtual therapy which has helped me manage my thoughts and organize my life to where I am working to accept help and not overextend myself and not to worry about the thing that I could not control. Every day I deal with guilt from having a child during the pandemic who is now 2 and having difficulty with speech. Although there is no prognosis as a parent, I often relate it to my choice to return to school during the pandemic while I was pregnant. I hope that with my hands-on approach now she is able to improve.

I am a first-generation Somali American immigrant I am interested in becoming a Physician Assistant. I have been interested in health care since I was a child. Coming from an immigrant family my parents migrated here from Somalia due to civil war. Before my parents becoming refugees in Kenya, my father owned a Pharmacy and help his community and family with any health problems or advice, since I was young my father would instill in me the importance of education and being mindful of my health. He was not able to pursue this after migrating to the United States because he had 8 children and a wife to care for. As I grew I became more interested in the healthcare field, in high school I decided I wanted to become a doctor or Physician assistant, in my early years at college I joined the pre-PA program, and since then I have put it on a backburner due to my family needing me to work and help, further, I have taken the time to have children. My father has since reminded me to chase my dreams, therefore during the pandemic I have decided to return to school and pursue my goals to help encourage them to always reach for the stars and to do something that helps others. Another reason why is as a black immigrant I have experienced many difficulties in receiving healthcare advice. My most recent labor and pregnancy encouraged me to not give up as my OB did not listen to my concerns or allow my body to do what it has for 2 previous pregnancies that were similar. Instead, I was advised I would have complicated labor if I had not gotten an epidural, early induction (37 weeks gestation) or complete bed rest. The provider did not provide any recommendations or suggestions instead she advised and suggested to me that at my 34-week appointment, she was going to induce me and " not let me get to full term". Due to the stress of that and not having been heard got shingles and my daughter was in the excessive fluid. I was told to be on the best rest which made things worse. I took matters into my own hands and researched ways to help the baby get into optimal position and stuck with my instincts and advice from other medical professionals I was able to have complicated free labor. My experiences have taught me more colored people or immigrants need to be in health care in all aspects. Although I was able to voice my concerns and resources to do so many women and families do not, my goal is to work with communities of color and migrant families because with patience, understanding and positive language there is a better chance of providing quality healthcare and better health outcomes.

Being of Somali American descent, I have seen America from a unique perspective. To my parents, it has given us a haven and a place to grow and build. However, on the other hand in recent years and even growing up I have encountered times that I was marginalized both for having a name people often misspelled and pronounced while students made fun of me for it, and for having an accent, further my parents had no idea I struggled with this. They were more focused on finding ways to navigate the American dream, without necessity. Today as an adult I see that I was able to keep my head down for most of it, even with this I believe it allowed me to build confidence in myself over time. What I wish I had was a mentor because I was only surrounded by my younger siblings and other students who were all first-generation Somali Americans. What I intend to do is work with low-income immigrant families to help them navigate resources and counseling for parents on how to assist their children adjust.

Hi my name is Ismahan Ahmed and I am pursuing an education in Nursing in my life I have been faced with many obstacles beginning from six months of age. I was born in a country that had been at war with itself since I was 6 months old. The first few years of my life we spent moving around different regions of Africa, several times through different parts of Somalia to escape civil war. We have lived in parts of rural Somalia and its neighboring countries Tanzana and Kenya. Many researchers have determined that the first 4/5 years of a child's life is filled with development, it is also vital for brain development emotional, mental regulation. In 1996 my family was awarded a lottery visa to come to American, I was 5 years old. By then I had lived a life of moving around, living with relatives or in a refugee camp, but we moved in a family unit, my mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles as well. Though my life prior to coming to America was not stable I recall feeling extreme anxiety and fear leaving all that I knew, I was used to places changing but not people. At a young age most specifically I recall father and grandfather giving me proverbs whenever i felt that anxiety or fear of the unknown. Today I hold that dear in my heart, I have not been the best at expressing my emotions or have suffered from neglecting my own mental health by putting others first, but I always kept a journal. I wrote my own proverbs to help me get through some difficult times of my life in which I wanted to write a book. At a young age I was told I excelled in writing, reading, and comprehension. By the time I was in second grade my teachers brought a deeper love of reading, writing, and learning. As my ability to read evolved so did my desire to further my education. Coming from a background of family who are interested in healthcare I developed a that passion as well often doing my own research and helping others when they were unwell. I am currently a mother of 3 children my last child was a difficult pregnancy because I was a fulltime student working and raising my other two children. I faced some complications during my last trimester, and labor and delivery as my own OBGYN did not listen to any of my concerns and even caused more stress during my last few weeks of pregnancy. This caused me to get Shingles, in which my youngest daughter then got chickenpox. Being 9 months pregnant, having a sick child being in pain and still having classwork was difficult but I replied on my parents for assistance and moral support this allowed me to get a 3.00 gpa and still give birth to a health baby. In conclusion, learning and one day working in the healthcare industry for me is not only a passion it is. Coming from the background of racial bias this experience proved to me why it was important I continued my education and pursue a nursing degree to help other young mothers feel reassured and don't have to undergo racial bias in healthcare. More minority in the healthcare industry would ensure no such thing happens.