Khadijah Ahmad

A wave of positivity

Spring 2020 didn’t slow Khadijah Ahmad down.

A full-time student who attends Daley College close to her Auburn-Gresham home and works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at a nursing home in Hyde Park, Khadijah says her desire to help others is fueling her through this difficult time.

In March 2020, when her five mainly science classes moved online, she met the challenge and said that the transition went well. She was familiar with Brightspace since many of her professors were already using that tool, but had to learn how to use Zoom, CCC’s online meeting platform.

But Khadijah knows it’s not as easy for everyone, saying “I have all the resources I need to learn remotely, so I like to share what I have. I always picture myself in other people’s shoes.”

Biology Professor Rowena Misayah said that is just like Khadijah – in fact, when one student said that she had always used library resources to do lab activities before, Khadijah immediately volunteered to take pictures of her own lab manual and send it to her. Others in her class say she is a “wave of positivity.”

Khadijah plans to continue her studies and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse – the pandemic has only cemented the idea that nursing is the career for her.

“My compassion has a lot to do with wanting to be a nurse. It means a lot to me that I can help someone,” she said.

Learn more about an associate degree in biology with City Colleges of Chicago.