Khadija Mir knew 51视频 was the right school for her on her first visit to campus.
鈥淓veryone was really sweet, trying to help people get around,鈥� says Mir, an honors听business administration major from Bedford, New Hampshire. 鈥淚 knew I made the right decision. I knew this was an environment that I would want to grow in.鈥�
Helping others is important to Mir. She says it鈥檚 a value that her parents instilled in her and her two younger siblings.
鈥淲e are first-generation immigrants to the U.S., and my parents have always been helping people while advancing to where they are now,鈥� says Mir, who was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and grew up in several countries, including England and Canada, before her family settled in New Hampshire when she was in middle school.听
In high school, she developed an interest in business 鈥� and her passion for helping others 鈥� after joining DECA, which prepares students for business careers and entrepreneurship through case-study competitions.
鈥淚 was part of a mentorship program where I could elevate people and boost their self-confidence by giving them simple tips,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat really made me feel good.鈥澨�
Realizing she would have to start college remotely from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mir enrolled in the UML Launch! Summer Program. She was able to take two virtual courses, Microeconomics and Business 101, at a reduced tuition rate, as well as a free seminar on entrepreneurship and innovation.
鈥淚t was great to get a head start on my academics and make connections with professors and other students,鈥� says Mir, who also got to know her college-based advisor. 鈥淪eeing the people I鈥檇 be working with helped make Zoom classes better.鈥�
Mir, who intends to concentrate in management and management information systems and minor in computer science, was awarded an Immersive Scholarship, which pays for students to do research or study abroad after their first year of college.
鈥淗opefully I can do an internship in person, because I really value that sense of connection working with people,鈥� she says.
Mir, who attended several virtual events hosted by the Joy Tong Women in Business student organization during her first year, is excited to take classes in person on the campus that made such a favorable first impression.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the day when I can study at a big, grand desk in a library instead of the little desk in my room,鈥� she says.
Until then, Mir focuses on the positives.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned how to manage myself in a crisis. I鈥檓 journaling, and I鈥檓 getting better at organization, which is something I struggled with in high school,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd I never thought I鈥檇 be an online learner until I was an adult, but that鈥檚 one of the beauties of this online learning situation: We鈥檝e been exposed to an unconventional way of education.鈥�