Marzieh Ghulami came to the U.S. with her mother in 2014. Her family originally came from Afghanistan, but she was born and raised in Iran. While she attended college there to study French, she knew there would not be many options for her if she graduated. With that in mind, Marzieh and her mother were able to work with the United Nations to emigrate out of Iran to Chicago.
Before she arrived, Marzieh had no idea what to expect. She was pleased to find that Chicago was a large city, with many options to continue her education. After some research, her first stop was Truman College to take ESL classes. She also had to work full-time to support herself and her mother, but in time and with the support of the Truman Adult Education faculty, she was able to transition to college credit classes through the Gateway Program.
Originally interested in the nursing program, Marzieh decided to pursue a career as a pharmacist instead. After a lot of research, she learned that in order to start pharmacy school, she would not need a bachelor’s degree. With that in mind, she took as many prerequisite classes as she could, and earned her Associate of Science in May of 2018.
Now at UIC’s School of Pharmacy, Marzieh feels as though her education at Truman really prepared her for what is ahead.
“So far it’s been challenging, but I’ve already seen so much of what we’re covering now,” she explained.
It might surprise those who know Marzieh that she’s chosen a path in the sciences at all.
“I hated chemistry and biology in high school, but I think it was because I didn’t have good teachers. The faculty at Truman really care about their students, and take the time to make sure you understand the material. They gave me the courage to take more and more science classes – I even fell in love with organic chemistry!”
Grateful for her time at Truman, Marzieh is looking ahead to a future in pharmacy, but always keeps an open mind about opportunities that may come her way.