Ahmed Almohamed ’24

For Ahmed Almohamed ’24, becoming a doctor is about more than just treating physical health. When he was 10, and before coming to the United States from Egypt, Ahmed knew he wanted to be the kind of doctor his grandfather was. Part of why he chose Wesleyan was his desire to emulate his grandfather’s career and to be a force for communal good. To do that, he needed the freedom to take classes outside of the standard pre-med track. Taking the exact same set of classes as every other pre-med student sounded restrictive. “I want my own experience,” Ahmed says, because his goal isn’t the degree, it’s what it will help him be.

Once on campus, Ahmed took a First Year Seminar titled The Prison State, where he explored contemporary African American life in the United States. This course fueled the fire of his interest in social awareness, and it led to a double major in Molecular Biology/Biochemistry and African American Studies, with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. Strengthening his knowledge of Arabic, learning about the culture and history from which his family comes, and opening himself to the experiences of Black people in America aren’t things separate from studying medicine; they’re integral. “As a doctor, I will take responsibility for treating people who are different from myself, and I need to be able to treat them all equitably.” Ahmed explains that despite perceptions, science isn’t right or wrong—your race, sex, gender, and other identities all play a role in how doctors treat you. “As a first-generation, low-income student born in Iraq, I’m going to be a resource for others like me, and for those unlike me.”