More than 2,100 students will be receiving degrees and certificates at the Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College commencements on June 1 and 2. Here's the story of one amazing graduate.
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Maysaa Madhat Najih Ibrahim |
Maysaa Madhat Najih Ibrahim
is all about overcoming challenges. Single mother. Refugee. No matter. Ibrahim
is one of six valedictorians graduating at Cuyamaca College’s 38th
commencement ceremony on June 1. She’ll be headed to San Diego State University
in the fall on her way toward becoming a Spanish teacher.
“I
want to encourage students, single mothers and refuges to continue their
education because nothing is impossible to achieve with hard work,” Ibrahim
said.
Mission accomplished.
“She is a superb role model,” said Patricia Santana, Chair
of the Cuyamaca College World Languages Department. “She is focused,
persevering, and has a kind and humble demeanor. I could tell immediately that
she would reach her dreams.”
“It was hard,” Ibrahim said.
“I didn’t know much about the English language. And the culture was different.”
Her first order of business
was going to adult school to learn English. Then, in 2012, she enrolled in a
Cuyamaca College continuing education course. By the spring of 2013, she was a
full-time student.
“I realized you had to get a
certificate or a degree to get a good job, to do something for yourself. You
have to have an education. It is so important.”
She also was intent on
setting an example for her daughter.
She thrived immediately.
Majoring in Spanish, a language she learned in school growing up in Iraq, Ibrahim
became a straight-A student and quickly set her sights on becoming a Spanish
teacher. Along the way, she held down several jobs, first through a work-study
program at the Writing Center, where Ibrahim set appointments and helped
students who didn’t speak English well but could speak Arabic or Spanish. That
was followed by a job as a Spanish tutor at the LRC Center, and
then in the EOPS office as CARE Peer Advisor working with single mothers.
“She was an exquisite student in my advanced Spanish class,”
Santana said.
It wasn’t easy.
“I worked hard to balance between studying, working and
taking care of my daughter,” said Ibrahim, who is 38. “It is very challenging
situation for a single mother to put all three together. I didn’t have much
time to waste, and not enough time to study. So I usually would wake up at 4
a.m. to finish my homework, study for a test or to finish writing a paper.
Yet here she is, graduating with a perfect degree grade
point average of 4.0 and preparing to transfer to San Diego State University
this fall.
“It is getting a lot easier
for me now,” Ibrahim said.
Her heart will remain at
Cuyamaca College.
“My teachers were not only my
teachers, they were also my friends,” Ibrahim said. “They helped me. Always
encouraged me all the time. The learning environment at Cuyamaca I like very
much. You are not alone. You have a lot of support.”