Program: Honours Life Sciences
Hometown: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One of my favorite courses was ART 1TI3 (Making Art and Understanding Technology & Images) because I took it with my brother. We attended late night lectures, visited McMaster’s museum, took photos for projects and learned about art together. Since we both ended up at the same university away from home, taking an elective together felt like a special opportunity. More than the course itself, it gave us the chance to make memories and experience university together as adults.This course also taught me about digital art, society, and important historical events that highlight the role of art, and it gave me insight into the different ways artists think and express their ideas. As a Life Sciences student, I was able to explore multiple courses and learn about the interdisciplinary nature of science, and also about myself while exploring art and connecting it to my own heritage, which was an enjoyable experience.
The people I’m most thankful to have met at Mac are my new community and the people who made McMaster feel like home for four years. They say it takes a village, and I was fortunate enough to find mine at Mac. That’s why I can’t choose just one person because my krasavitsa, Khadija, the Khaleeji Student Association club members, my group project partners, and all of my other friends, have all impacted me and helped me grow and adjust. We hosted events, collaborated with other clubs, reached students, and helped create a sense of home away from home not only for ourselves but also for others. They made homesickness easier, joined me in exploring Hamilton’s hiking trails, cafes, restaurants, and gyms, facilitated workshops with me, and shared countless study nights at Mills and the Health Sciences Library. We worked hard together, failed and then tried again, and navigated adulthood from first year to graduation.
My biggest accomplishment at McMaster was getting involved in research! I was initially scared and hesitant, and looked for library resources for extra research support, which eventually introduced me to tools and materials I didn’t know existed. Through this, I learned about research methods, ethics, clinical studies, and the medical field more precisely. This experience not only deepened my understanding but also confirmed my passion for the field, which allowed me to appreciate both its challenges and its beauty. This experience gave me exposure to learn more about hospital procedures, patient documentation, and the Canadian healthcare system, while also building my confidence in presenting, and putting in greater effort to understand medical concepts. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity with my co-supervisors Dr. Edward Matsumoto and Dr. Cassandra Barber.
I will be most proud to show my degree to my parents, who have supported me before, during, and right up until graduation. They both gave me a strong foundation and have been my guides, my support, and my constant source of encouragement while studying abroad. I’m grateful to be able to show my mom something little in return for her time, effort, and sacrifices. As I walk across the stage, my father will have traveled hours to witness this moment, always just one flight, one call away whenever I needed him. I look forward to sharing this milestone with both of them and, afterward, going home to my “chill zone” with my extended family and friends to celebrate, knowing this achievement belongs to all of us.
For incoming students at McMaster, first off, congratulations on starting this new chapter! My advice is to always keep your goal in mind and create a plan to achieve it, repeat the plan, change the plan, ask for other plans, and remember to change the plan but not the goal. Always try your best to follow your dream even when things start to get challenging because it was never meant to be easy, but staying focused makes a difference. I also encourage you to be the one who reaches out first so start conversations, join or create clubs, travel to a new country, email classmates, invite others for coffee or study sessions after lectures, and ask where they’re coming from. Taking that first step opens many unexpected doors and it’s going to make a difference. McMaster has incredible resources and a strong community, but the experience becomes even richer when you actively look for it and then share it.
Convocation, Students