Musab

My #UMNFirst Story

My parents have always instilled in me the value of education as a first generation immigrant. Despite not having the resources to tackle the challenges that my peers can navigate easily, I stayed determined to make something of myself. As one of the few black people in Carlson, I developed an imposter syndrome thinking that I did not belong to the Carlson business school because of my circumstance and social class. It took a semester and I-Core for me to truly fit in Carlson. I believe I lost opportunities and resources trying to navigate the academic word by myself but nevertheless I persevered. I’m so glad to my advisor (Lindsay Gundecha) and professors who gave me hope and urged me to finish strong. I’m thankful to the Carlson scholarship committee for lessening my financial hardship. I take pride in being a first generation student because of all the experience that it has enabled me to gain.