Walaa Mahgoub ’12: Expanding her Possibilities
Halfway through her Saint Joseph College education, Walaa Mahgoub ’12 decided to change majors. To someone like Walaa — whose family emigrated from Sudan to the Middle East to the United States — the concept of change takes on greater resonance. “I believe that change can bring you to something greater as long as you are acting honestly,” she said.
Coming to America
Walaa was born in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) and moved
to the U.S. when she was 14. Life as an American teenager presented its own
rewards and challenges: “My mother and older brother thought it would be best
if I wore a hijab (headscarf) when we came to America. I went along with it,
but started to notice that when you wear a scarf, people treat you differently,
especially people in the same culture. They assume you are a certain type of
person.”
Walaa felt the hijab did not represent who she truly was and
decided not to wear it. “That was one of the biggest choices I ever made,” she
said. “It gave me the freedom to be who I really am, not someone defined by
others’ preconceived ideas.”
Finding her True Self
Walaa enrolled at SJC as a Biology major and threw herself
into her studies and campus life. From the outside things appeared to be going
well. “The only problem was the fact that Biology wasn’t the right choice for
me,” she said. “It was something I didn’t even want to admit to myself.” Walaa
now knows she did not choose her major for the right reason: “Basically, I did
it because I thought it would make my parents happy and proud.”
With all she learned about herself, Walaa decided to
confront the truth. “It was hard to come to terms with, but I knew I had to
look at this honestly,” she said. She is
now looking at other options and expects to select a major that matches her
interests.
Becoming a Strong Woman
Regardless of what she ultimately selects, Walaa
is clear about what she will take away from her Saint Joseph College
experience: “I want to be a strong woman, one who stands by her beliefs and
follows through on things. My education here is teaching me how.”
