Shanya Namiq Has Found ‘Family’ on UMKC’s Diverse Campus

At UMKC, the students are our story. Introducing a new digital storytelling project. Look, listen and learn about us through interviews, photographs and videos of our students. Read the other student stories and go to umkcgoingplaces.tumblr.com and follow.

SHANYA NAMIQ

Pre-Med Biology major | School of Biological Sciences | 2018 | Attended high school in Kurdistan

Where is UMKC taking you?

I want to be a traveling ER physician and go to poorer countries where they need the most help. You see on the news people suffering from lack of medicine and knowledge. I want to help. I’m not in this career for the money. I’m very focused. If I have a dream, then that is my path and I stick to it.

Why did you choose UMKC?

UMKC has a good medical school. I like that it’s so diverse. There are different cultures and societies.

What are your lifelong goals?

My main goal is to be an ER physician. I like that the ER is chaotic and that you have to have a really broad knowledge base. It will definitely take a lot of studying. They see everything: breakage, bleeding, things you definitely won’t see in a regular cardiologist’s office.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received from a professor?

The best piece of advice I have received from a professor was to get involved around campus. You learn so much from others and the community.

What do you admire most at UMKC and why?

The thing I admire about UMKC are the professors. All of them want the success of their students and they always push you to become smarter.

Are you a first generation college student?

I am. There wasn’t anyone to tell me what to do and what not to do so I had to learn most of the things myself, but the professors are always there to help.

What’s your greatest fear?

My greatest fear right now is getting lower than a B. Being pre-med, I need to keep my GPA high.

What motto do you live by?

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

– Robert Frost

Who is your role model?

Muhammad is my role model. He went through so much and everything he has said has had an impact on my life. I want to become more like him.

What excites you?

UMKC excites me because my friends are awesome. We’ve got a study group of 12 and we’re so diverse, yet we’ve become a family. Everyday it is great to have them support me. I really like how diverse it is here. There aren’t Asians in one place and Muslims in another. No one cares about any of that, everyone is mixed together.

I like all kinds of music. I like to listen to Mozart when I study. I feel like it expands my mind so I can fit in more.

What is one word that best describes you and why?

Outgoing. I love to try new things and I’m always up for a challenge.