Not Taking No for an Answer: Ruwaida’s Story

Ruwaida was 15 years old when she entered a classroom for the first time in four years. Not knowing any English, her first lesson was learning how to say her own name to introduce herself. After that she spent five to seven hours studying each night. Now 20, Ruwaida is the first person in her family to graduate high school and attend college.

Two years before that first lesson, Ruwaida and her family were living in Baghdad when her father was shot while working as a truck driver. His leg wasn’t healing properly after initial treatment, and his doctor’s only solution for the wound was amputation.

That diagnosis was one that her family refused to accept, so her uncle took her father across the border into Turkey to get better treatment. There they discovered his previous doctor had left a plastic bag in the wound. As a result, he had to undergo 24 surgeries before returning home. When the violence in Baghdad continued, her family went back to Turkey, this time as refugees.

These events would ultimately lead Ruwaida to North Central High School in Spokane. There she would find support from faculty and teachers as she navigated her way in a completely foreign land. Unsure of what she should do after high school, she went to a teacher for advice. That teacher knew just the person she should consult.

“Ruwaida was sweet from day one,” says Julie-Ann Pearson, a College Prep Advisor for College Success Foundation. “She was quiet but driven, and she was the first to apply for CSF’s Achievers program her junior year.”

As a CSF Alumni, Julie-Ann sees herself in each of the students she works with. College was rarely talked about while she was growing up. She wasn’t even sure what questions to ask, let alone where to ask them. It was Julie-Ann’s own CSF College Prep Advisor who she credits for propelling her towards her own degree. 

“My College Prep Advisor walked me through college essays, coached me on what college would be like, and was most importantly a mentor for me,” says Julie-Ann. “They still are a mentor for me, and I plan to do the same thing for Ruwaida. I love seeing my students grow, building those relationships with them and helping them find their best fit for the future.”

Like Julie-Ann, Ruwaida’s family knew very little about college. They worked hard to scrap together whatever information they could, but the picture they brought back to her seemed incomplete and added to her uncertainty.

She credits teaming up with Julie-Ann and CSF as making the biggest difference. Through the Achievers program, Julie-Ann coached her on the college admissions and financial aid process. She was able to access college visit and career exploration opportunities that were made possible through partnerships with the Spokane community who continually leans into CSF’s mission.

One such opportunity was a visit to St. Luke’s Hospital that was made possible by Greater Spokane Incorporated and Inland Northwest Health Services. The visit would ultimately lead to an internship where Ruwaida would discover a passion for neurology.

“After I heard that my father was almost killed by that doctor who left the plastic bag in his leg, I knew I wanted to be a doctor,” explains Ruwaida. “Then when I got the internship working in a brain injury unit, I became fascinated by the brain.”

With the Spokane community rallying behind her, Ruwaida is now a sophomore at Eastern Washington University and well on her way to that dream. She and Julie-Ann still talk regularly, and she has direct support from Denise Smith, a CSF College and Completion Coach who helps her to navigate college. Usually working from her office at Eastern Washington University, Denise supports students at colleges throughout the region with everything from emotional support to connecting them to financial resources.

“Having someone they can come to with questions is a big relief for a lot of my students,” says Denise. “Navigating these new systems, especially for a first-generation students, has only gotten more difficult in the remote environment caused by the pandemic.”

Ruwaida tested positive for COVID-19 this summer which forced her to end her summer job early, but she has since fully recovered and is now living on her own for the first time in her life. Denise recently coached Ruwaida on an application for the Washington Women in Need Scholarship which she has since been awarded.

“Ruwaida’s had to face more than most, but she’s always moving forward,” Denise says.

As the oldest of eight, Ruwaida is a trailblazer for her younger siblings. Her sister, Mariyam, is following in her footsteps and joining her at Eastern Washington University this fall. Her brother, Ali, is now a CSF Achiever at North Central High School.

“So many people say no to me,” Ruwaida says. “‘No, don’t get that medical degree. It will take too long.’ But I’m not going to take that no. I’m going to listen to Julie-Ann and Denise instead.”