First-generation and immigrant students face multiple barriers. MHIHIM student Maryan Mohamed describes her own journey, including her advocacy and project management work at the Somali Health Board.
Maryan Mohamed, a second-year student in the UW Master of Health Informatics and Health Information Management (MHIHIM) program, knows what it’s like to face adversity. In 1991, she and her family fled civil war in Somalia and spent several years in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Conditions were bleak; refugees suffered from food insecurity and poor access to health care. Ultimately, Mohamed and her family settled in Texas, and later Washington State, when Mohamed was in grade school.
“We had to navigate the school systems ourselves,” Mohamed reflected. “There were barriers in trying to find resources that would fit me, especially when it relates to financial aid and getting scholarships. Other students might have an advantage, because if their parents went to school, they know how to navigate the system.”
Fast-forward to today, and Mohamed has earned an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from Highline College, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Healthcare Leadership from UW Tacoma, and is set to graduate from the MHIHIM program in March. Recently, she was awarded with the highly competitive GSEE Supplemental Tuition Award for 2024-2025. Mohamed is the third MHIHIM student in three years to win the award.
“Maryan has a keen analytical mind, makes well-informed decisions based on data, is highly collaborative, and is well respected by her fellow cohort members,” said MHIHIM Graduate Program & Career Advisor Emily Batlan.
Growing up, Mohamed was a “shy kid,” but she came out of her shell at Highline, where she connected with students with similar backgrounds. “A lot of times it could be a bit lonely, but meeting other immigrants and other first-generation students trying to navigate the system helped a lot,” she said.
Applying to UW Tacoma took her even further out of her comfort zone. Luckily, she formed a tight-knit cohort of fellow first-generation students who connected her with vital information around scholarships, extra credit, and tutoring. Post-graduation, her friends alerted her to an open position at the Somali Health Board in Tukwila. She started out as the coordinator for the center’s intergenerational programming.
“During COVID, we noticed a disconnect between the youth and seniors in our community,” Mohamed explained. “There are language barriers, and the seniors just don’t feel like the youth understand them, and vice versa. So we tried to bridge the gap.”
For this year-long program, Mohamed led intergenerational cohorts in vulnerable, small-group dialogues. Older adults and youth shared advice with each other, fostering mutual understanding. The program was a success, and it was extended beyond a year. Nonetheless, Mohamed saw the urgent need for more programming to tackle a different pressing issue in her community—mental illness.
“In our community, a lot of times there’s a stigma around getting help from professionals. It’s like an extra label that you have to carry around. Often, people don’t seek the help that they need. I’m trying to help my community normalize that it’s okay to have these issues, to have these struggles, because everybody goes through it. Starting those conversations has been a big part of my job.”
Finding a Home in MHIHIM
When Mohamed enrolled in the MHIHIM program in fall 2023, she realized, with the help of some faculty mentors, that her experience at the Somali Health Board could dovetail into project management. This sub-field is a leading career path for MHIHIM graduates. Graduate program advisor Emily Batlan connected her with a mentor with expertise in project management.
“Emily gave me advice on how to get started, what the future should look like, and how I can take advantage of the program and relate it back to the community organization that I currently work at,” said Mohamed.
“Maryan’s healthcare leadership and firsthand experiences are foundational to her view of a compassionate, efficient, and effective healthcare system,” said Batlan. These qualities are integral to her future leadership in the US healthcare system. We are so proud of Maryan and look forward to her doing wonderful things after she graduates!”
Through the ups and downs, Mohamed has found that cultivating a strong network can be the key to success. Her experience highlights the vital importance of affinity groups, mentorship, and other resources and programming for first-generation students. These students face barriers not limited to financial burdens, caregiving duties, and cultural disconnects. She described her experience as a Muslim, Somali-American student as akin to “navigating three worlds.” UW’s diversity has been a saving grace.
“UW is very diverse, and especially when it comes to the health programs, there’s a lot of people from different backgrounds,” she said. “Seeing those types of people being represented in the programs is amazing.”