Meet Two Spectacular Columbia Dyckman Scholars from Washington Heights and Inwood - Columbia | Neighbors

Overall, past year, immoderate 26 undergraduate students from Washington Heights and Inwood attended Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, and $1.1 cardinal successful need-based grants were provided to eligible students successful this group. The Dyckman Institute provided backing for 1 pupil successful each class.

This year, 3 of those scholars are being recognized astatine a Community Board 12 gathering connected Tuesday, November 22 astatine 6:30 p.m.: Shaheed Ashraf Thabit (CC'24), Richi Barua (CC'25), and Maki Nientao (CC'26). 

In grant of their accomplishment, Neighbors recently spoke with Thabit and Barua astir their experiences astatine Columbia and their dreams for the future. 

Shaheed Ashraf Thabit

Shaheed Ashraf Thabit (CC'24) is simply a inferior astatine Columbia College who is majoring successful Neuroscience and Behavior and is Pre-Med. He grew up successful Washington Heights, hopes to be aesculapian schoolhouse aft undergrad, and is "fascinated by the brain: however beauteous it is." That fascination motivates him to "study and survey immoderate more."

What brought you to Columbia?

I utilized to ever instrumentality the 1 bid to precocious schoolhouse and mediate schoolhouse and I would spot the 116th subway stop, and the unreserved of people, and I'd wonderment if I was successful New York oregon not. I americium a idiosyncratic driven by information and viewing Columbia from the outside. Since I was a small kid, I enactment that successful my head: Columbia is determination to be. 

What person been your favourite classes truthful far?

There's a Columbia College required people that was a tiny class, truthful you got to interact a lot. The prof was truthful humble. We'd speech astir books similar The Bible oregon The Quran and he'd accidental "look, I'm not a maestro of this subject, but I cognize you travel from antithetic backgrounds, truthful consciousness escaped to leap successful and discuss." I truly liked that, due to the fact that I could bring up my inheritance and the cognition I had from my family. Other students did arsenic good and it was a precise divers classroom: antithetic continents, ages, and years.

Who is your top inspiration?

My parents. When I was successful precocious school, I went to Bronx Science, and different students would accidental "Oh my parents went to Harvard oregon Columbia oregon from these large schools," and erstwhile it was my crook to speak, I'd accidental "My ma came to the United States successful the '90s from the Dominican Republic," and I was ace arrogant of that. Knowing that beingness was harder for them and that they had to sacrifice a batch for us. That conception of sacrificing for the adjacent generation, I deliberation is amazing. 

What is your favourite spot successful Washington Heights?

I truly similar the St. Nicholas Avenue area. You spell there, you perceive the euphony and radical dancing successful the street, enjoying beingness successful a elemental way. They aren't getting caught up. They're talking, laughing, speaking the language. You get to spot however the elemental things successful beingness are the astir important.

Any proposal you'd springiness to precocious schoolhouse students present looking toward college?

Take things 1 measurement astatine a time. Just effort to get better. Eventually, you will. Believe successful your potential. I wasn't ever the top pupil successful mediate school, but I ever had religion successful myself. My parent would accidental "you're going to beryllium valedictorian, you're going to spell to Columbia, look, this is your school." And I would ideate that. Though I wasn't showing the skills astatine the moment, to person that imaginativeness to enactment astatine and spell astatine it each day, that's what is important.

Richi Barua

Richi Barua (CC'25) is simply a sophomore Columbia College pupil concentrating successful sociology, but with an insatiable involvement successful nationalist health, particularly however it intersects with migrant communities and radical of color. She grew up astatine the intersection of Washington Heights and Inwood, and hopes to either be aesculapian schoolhouse oregon prosecute a Master's of Public Health aft undergrad.

What brought you to Columbia?

I knew Columbia had a batch of resources that would assistance maine survey what I wanted to study. Interesting classes and research, which I wanted to get into arsenic an undergrad. Besides that, the information that it is adjacent to wherever I unrecorded and wherever I grew up. I get to link and enactment successful my assemblage amended due to the fact that I spell to schoolhouse nearby. There are radical that travel to Columbia from each implicit the satellite and I thought section practice was necessary.

What has been your favourite acquisition astatine Columbia truthful far?

Being capable to conscionable an unthinkable radical of radical present and bent retired with them arsenic often arsenic I can, particularly for school-based events. I loved going to the nighttime marketplace with them a mates of weeks agone and experiencing the tree-lighting ceremonial for the archetypal clip with them past year. It was precise memorable for me.

What is your favourite spot successful Washington Heights/Inwood?

My favourite spot would conscionable beryllium Dyckman. There are tons of restaurants, thoroughfare food, and crystal pick carts. There are a batch of people, music, and acquainted faces. I loved hanging retired determination with friends aft schoolhouse successful high school, and we would often spell to Fort Tryon Park oregon La Marina afterwards. It is simply a precise memorable spot for me. 

Who is your top inspiration?

For me, my family, due to the fact that I travel from a Bangladeshi migrant inheritance and family. Seeing their hard enactment and resiliency implicit the years, I americium who I americium due to the fact that of them. Even my involvement successful nationalist wellness and medicine is simply a merchandise of translating for them successful healthcare spaces.

Any proposal you'd springiness to precocious schoolhouse students present looking toward college?

Don't fto anyone discourage you. Keep connected doing what you person to do. If you person a dream, spell for it.

Columbia has a batch of resources for precocious schoolhouse students, similar the Double Discovery Center. There are besides programs astatine NewYork-Presbyterian, similar the Lang Youth Medical Program. I tin suggest different program, S-PREP, that I cognize immoderate of my friends person been in. It's for mediate schoolhouse and precocious schoolhouse students

Exposure is the indispensable archetypal thing. Once you get inspired, question retired mentors oregon teachers who are consenting to enactment you on the way. Believe successful yourself, and don't perceive to discouragement.

Learn More

Columbia University encourages each outstanding precocious schoolhouse seniors from Washington Heights/Inwood to use for admittance to Columbia College oregon the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Columbia Engineering). There are implicit 300 individually named need-based scholarships disposable to Columbia students.

One of these, the Dyckman Institute Scholarship, assists students from Washington Heights/Inwood who would not different beryllium capable to spend the afloat outgo of attending Columbia.

Last year, 26 students from Washington Heights/Inwood received $1.1 cardinal successful need-based scholarships from Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. High schoolhouse students from Washington Heights/Inwood whitethorn larn much astir Columbia by contacting the Undergraduate Admissions Office astatine (212) 854-2522 oregon visiting http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/