Asmahan Muhrram is a mother of 4 who says her goal of becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist is a “child’s dream,” not because it’s out of reach but because it was instilled by her late father in their native Yemen.
“I used to dream to become a doctor back in my country,” said Muhrram, who will graduate from Hartnell on May 20 with an Associate Degree for Transfer in Biology – Summa Cum Laude – and continue on to Cal State Monterey Bay. “Before my dad passed away, he was my main supporter. He said, ‘Follow your dream.’”
Not only is she a first-generation student, like many of her younger peers at Hartnell, but she has traveled an especially long road, starting with earning her high school equivalency online in about 2007. She began attending Hartnell – a class or two per semester – in Fall 2016.
Along the way she has been a part of Hartnell’s MESA (Mathematics Science Engineering Achievement) program for STEM students and completed two micro-internships, including genome research with biology instructor Dr. Jeffery Hughey.
“I was thinking 5 years ago, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do it,’’ Muhrram said. “I did it. I finished it. Most of my classes are all A’s. I’m so proud in myself.”
Her second oldest child, Maha, is also a Hartnell student, studying respiratory therapy and serving as a MESA Student Ambassador, and is on track to graduate in 2023. Her 22-year-old son, Hany, is majoring in biology at Cal State Long Beach, and her youngest are twin girls, 13.
“I got married before I graduated from high school,” Muhrram said. “I became a mom and raised my kids, waited until they grew up and decided to do something.”
She and her family came to Salinas in 2014 from Hanford, having moved to California from New York City in 2000 after briefly living in Queens. Muhrram’s father had owned a grocery store there for 20 years, sending money home to his family in Yemen before they joined him in America.
Muhrram and her husband, Fawzi, moved to Salinas for better air quality after one of their children developed Valley Fever, a fungus-related lung ailment. He owns a convenience store in Salinas. The couple have become United States citizens, and their children were all born in the U.S.
When the Muhrrams arrived in Salinas, she home-schooled the children through the Monterey County Home Charter School, and Asmahan first enrolled in Hartnell when her daughter began taking concurrent enrollment classes at the college while still in high school.
“I was a supporter of hers, but at the same time, I also needed those classes,” she said. “I was like, ‘You need it for high school, and I need it for my education.’”
Years before she would take on calculus, Muhrram began with Hartnell’s most basic classes in English and math. “I didn’t know how to speak English or how to communicate with people,” she said. “I didn’t have an idea how to write an essay. I’m still having trouble with spelling, but I’m getting there. It’s a process.”
Muhrram said she is grateful for the support of her fellow students and instructors like James Beck in English and John Perez in math, as well as for the Panther Learning Lab and STEM counselor Brooksey Foley, whom she described as a “big supporter” who always helped her when she was struggling.
Foley returned the compliment, saying, “She’s such an incredible student, and I bonded with her over motherhood. She’s been working really hard toward her degree, and she’s taken her studies very seriously. She’s just a hard worker.”
Muhrram has become a big booster for Hartnell, telling her friends about the opportunities it provides for students of all ages.
“Being at Hartnell, they offer a lot,” she said. “It has small classes compared to other colleges. You get to know the teachers one on one, communicate with your teacher, your counselor and other people. They can understand you and help you.”
Most of all, Muhrram continues to share the inspiration from her father that she holds so dear.
“Don’t let anybody, no matter the person, tell you no or you can’t do it,” she said. “Believe in yourself; follow your dreams; take it step by step. Just focus on your dream.”
(Photo caption: Asmahan Muhrram, second from left, with her daughters, Safa (white jeans jacket), Mahar and Maha (right) on May 7 in the STEM Center on Hartnell's Main Campus after she was honored as a graduating senior by Hartnell's MESA program for students majoring in STEM fields.)
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