The Fight for Equal Access to Education: Najma Ali
By: Olivia Hines
Her Profile:
College Counselor
Vice President of Black Student Union
Intern at Minneapolis Health Department
Sagittarius, ENFP
Najma Ali is a first-generation student in her senior year. She has a major in sociology with a minor in public health. She plans to attend grad school for global health with the intention to work with health disparities, particularly in black maternal and infant mortality which are prominent in the community.
She values education, community, and equality. Her community work on and off campus has been dedicated towards better accessibility of education and health resources for minority groups. In our interview she said, “One thing in particular with first-generation students, and black students, is they don’t have the resources to do things, they can’t volunteer because they don’t have a car to take them - they don’t have reliable transportation. So one thing I really like to do is give people those chances that they don’t get to have so that I can help them get into college. I really value education, everybody deserves to have that chance.”
Currently, she works as an intern at the Minneapolis Health Department. As a college counselor, she works with middle and high school students and helps them plan for their future, by searching and applying for colleges and scholarships, developing college resumes and essays, and writing recommendations. She also helps students find and apply for volunteer positions. In her position as Vice President (VP) of the Black Student Union (BSU), Najma has been involved in several different events and activities through the BSU. Years prior she was part of the founding board of Somali Association of Pre-Health Students, and was marketing chair of the Minority Association of Pre-Med Students. For a while, she worked at Regions Hospital as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). At the beginning of college, Najma volunteered at a mosque every weekend. Read more about Najma Ali’s involvement at the U of M below:
O - Any advice for people who want to get involved in the community?
N - Your network is your net worth. If you tell someone you want to be involved, you’ll find someone who is involved, and they’ll help you become involved. Ask for the opportunity, and you will have it. Be demanding in the things that you want, and the things that you do, and don’t give up.
O - What are some qualities of a good leader?
N - A good leader needs to be confident in their abilities. Calm, cool, and collected. When it comes to leadership, people look to the person who is not having a meltdown. If you must, fake it til you make it. Everyone is faking it. Everyone is putting on a performance at almost all times. Nobody is gonna be the perfect leader, it’s very hard. A leader must make last-minute decisions and be able to navigate specific crises or situations. Don’t beat yourself over imperfections. Everyone is a leader in their own ways.
O - What are some good qualities a member of the community should have?
N - Be open-minded, respectful, and accepting. There are a lot of different people going through different things. We all have a different upbringing, a different childhood. So be open to the fact that everyone is different, and not everyone thinks the same way as you do.
O - Who is your biggest role model?
N - My future self. Whenever I have a crisis, or an issue, or a big decision to make, I am thinking how would she navigate through this situation? I don’t like to compare myself to others. I only like to compare myself to myself. I like to tell people, and I tell myself, that in order to become your future self, you have to act like your future self. It helps promote growth in yourself without belittling yourself.
O - What keeps you motivated to keep fighting for the issues you care about?
N - When I was in fifth grade, I learned about the bystander effect. I learned that when crises, or bad situations, happen people tend to freeze. They tend to not get involved because sociality is removed from everyone. We don’t tend to involve ourselves in things that don’t pertain to us. Because of that people who are in need, don’t get the help they need. Everyone believes somebody else is going to fix this situation, somebody else is going to come and save this person. I don’t need to get involved. You think; I’m not enough, I can’t do that. But, everybody can. People are good, they just need that push. I told myself, I would gladly be that push.
You have to fight against the negative aspects of individualism promoted by American society. Once one person becomes involved, others follow. They don’t want to be the person. Sometimes it means sitting in a room saying this doesn’t seem right, this doesn’t feel right, we need to do something, we need to change something. Sometimes it can be really difficult to be that person, but I think there needs to be that person in every room that we are in. So, I became that person.