Born during the Iraq war, Roz Al Janabi knew from a young age she wanted to be a doctor. Al Janabi’s mother gave birth to her without adequate sanitation and no anesthesia in an Iraqi maternity ward, as bombs went off nearby. Al Janabi remembers waking up and seeing blood outside their front door one day, and in a separate incident, her father was shot in the leg.
Because of their experiences growing up during the war, Al Janabi and her older brother dreamed of being able to help people by entering the medical field. Their parents, a business owner and a teacher, eventually sold what they had in Iraq to bring the family to America where the young Al-Janabi’s could get the best education and learn the latest medical technology.
Al Janabi and her siblings learned English quickly and thrived at school after settling in Twin Falls. Having participated in TRIO in high school, Al-Janabi applied to TRIO STEM Scholars at Boise State as a Biology major with a minor in business, and where she serves other students as a peer mentor there and in the Honors College.
“When students come to me to ask about research, I am able to teach them what I’ve learned and share my knowledge with them and that inspires me,” said Al-Janabi.
As a doctor with a business background, one day Al-Janabi wants to open her own medical clinic, and potentially serve rural communities – but for now she is excelling at Boise State while studying for the MCAT, a seven hour test students must take before applying to medical school.
Learn more about TRIO programs in the Center for Multicultural Educational Opportunities