Mobeen Farooq
I was born in 1990 in a small Pakistani village named Gujrat. Both of my parents were doctors in Pakistan and were well-known specialists in their own respective fields. Maybe because they wanted my brother and I to live a better life or maybe they just wanted to try something new, my parents decided on moving to the United States. We ended up living with my mother’s side of the family in Queens, New York.
It was during the late nineties that I officially started elementary school. At that time I was very new to the States and had little understanding of the English language. It was hard to make friends and do well in school. But I worked hard and tried my best to perfect my English. At this time, my father was getting a MPH degree from NYU while my mother stayed at home.
Then in 2001, my parents decided to move to Beckley, West Virginia. Already having gone through integrating into the lifestyle of a New Yorker, I was forced to live as a New Yorker in West Virginia – something that was unimaginably hard to accomplish. I spent my early teenage years in Beckley and studied up to 8th grade there. While my mother stayed at home, my father became a respiratory therapist and worked at a local hospital. Finally, after four years of stay, my family moved from Beckley back to New York City.
It was now 2004 and I was a high school student. I attended the High School for Health Professions and Human Services. At that point, my English had gotten a lot better and I considered myself a young adult. Throughout my time at HPHS I spent most of my time taking science classes and getting familiar with scientific research. By the end of my junior year, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. My parents were more than happy to support my decision and gave me their approval. My dad was still working as a respiratory therapist at a nursing care facility and my mom was still a housewife.
Out of all the colleges I applied for, the best option available to me was the Macaulay Honors College program at Brooklyn College. I decided to attend hoping that this program would give me the best opportunity of getting into a great medical school. My first semester at Brooklyn College has been great. Throughout the semester, I gained a vast amount of knowledge in the sciences and the English language. At the end of the semester, I found out that I was very interested in Biology and English. Hence, I decided on being a bio major while minoring in Comparative Lit.
This semester, I am taking CHC 2 – The Peopling (and Un-Peopling and Re-Peopling) of NYC – with Professor Phillip Napoli. It has been a satisfying experience so far and I have learned many things about New York City and how it came to be what it is today. More importantly, the class has give me the opportunity to study public policy and it’s effect on the spread of HIV/AIDS in New York City. It was through the class that I got to interview former NY city mayor Ed Koch and understand first hand how the city dealth with the crisis during the late 70’s and 80’s.
Before taking this class, I did not really take the time to think about what makes me a New Yorker. I always thought that being a New Yorker was not much different from being a West Virginian or any other person from another state. But, there is a difference. And now I realize that the difference is present on every face I look on the subway or on the streets. For me, the people of New York make New York, New York. And as an individual who lives in NY, I myself contribute to the identity of New York City.
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