Help a Doctor-Mom Build a Future for Global Health

My name is Sahar. I’m a doctor, a mother of two young children, and a first-generation graduate student starting over in a new country.

Back home in Pakistan, I had worked hard to build my career in medicine. I loved my work, and I was proud of the difference I made. But I also reached a point where I knew I needed more, to grow further, to be better trained, and to access the kind of postgraduate opportunities that were limited where I came from. I chose to start fresh in the United States, with the dream of turning my clinical background into a future in global health research and policy.

I’ve now been accepted into the prestigious program in Clinical Research Management at Arizona State University; an important step toward my goal of leading ethical research, advocating for vulnerable populations, and improving public health systems worldwide.

But rebuilding is never easy. Because of my current visa status, I’m not legally allowed to work in the U.S., despite being fully qualified and eager to support my family. My husband and I are raising our two children, one of them still a toddler, on a very tight budget. I’m managing graduate school, parenting, and daily life, all without the ability to earn.

I’ve applied to every scholarship I could find, and I’ve gratefully received a few. One gave me a $1,000 this semester, another $500 expected. While this helps, the cost of graduate school tuition, books, technology, and essential living expenses still adds up quickly. That’s why I’m humbly reaching out through this fundraiser.

Your support will help me stay on track toward completing this degree and fulfilling my purpose. It will cover tuition, educational materials, continuing education travel requirements and basic living costs during a time when I cannot support myself the way I would like to. More than that, your kindness will carry me through one of the most challenging but meaningful chapters of my life.

This isn't just about me; it’s about the lives I hope to impact through my work in the future. Your generosity today will echo far beyond my own story.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for reading, for caring, and for believing in me.