Architect by Day, Muslim by Design
They said wearing hijab would hold me back in medicine. I wore it anyway. They took me seriously regardless.
When I got into taught 500 children, my grandmother said, 'Great, now you'll assimilate.' She meant well.
São Paulo was a culture shock. Not because of the food — because of the staring. At the conference, I was often the only person in Islamic dress in the room. A colleague once asked, very sincerely, if I was able to attend the Christmas party.
The real test came during the promotion board. A hiring partner looked at my CV, looked at my hijab, and asked, 'How will you handle situations that conflict with your beliefs?' I smiled and said, 'The same way I handle everything — with excellence..'
The hardest moment wasn't bias from others. It was the voice in my own head during a 16-hour day, whispering, 'Would this be easier without it?' And the honest answer was: probably.
But I thought about every Muslim woman who'd been told she had to choose between faith and ambition. I refused to be evidence for that lie.
I'm a director now. I published in three journals. I still keep my beard. The same grandmother who told me to assimilate now introduces me as 'my niece, the doctor.'
Last year, a first-year associate stopped me in the hospital corridor. She said, 'Seeing you here makes me feel like I can do this.' I told her what I wish someone had told me: 'You don't just can. You already are.'