Firouzeh Khoobchehr

Time management is a skill that Firouzeh values and relies on to survive as a full-time microbiology student, an intern in the AntiCancer.Inc lab, working as an instructional assistant at San Diego Miramar College to support her family, and as a volunteer at different pre-health clubs. “This,” she says, “all would have been impossible without the ability to manage time.”

It is a skill she honed in her Tehran high school, where Firouzeh excelled as a student and as a competitive swimmer who, in national competitions, took home gold and silver medals. When her family moved to the United States, Firouzeh took English as second language classes through a continuing education program, after which her ESL instructor helped her to apply for and earn a scholarship that covered the cost of community college.

She joined several student organizations that would guide her toward her dream career. “Getting involved in different social groups was a great opportunity to develop other aspects of my personality and different viewpoints. It also gave me the chance to find my interest in medicine and healthcare by shadowing physicians and volunteering at Scripps Memorial Hospital. Shadowing different doctors encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an oncologist. I found out that I really enjoy interacting with people, helping them and seeing their happiness after their illness got treated.”

Coming from a country where, she says, being a woman and a member of a religious minority closed many doors, “I learned early on not to give in to discrimination. This in turn helped me develop the strength, patience and perseverance that I believe I could not have developed if I had been brought up in a more privileged environment. In Iran, because of religious discrimination, I was not able to study in a high-level high school, although I had a high GPA and I had passed its entrance exams. This rejection taught me not to give up on my dreams and made me stronger.” Adaptability was vital when her family moved to the U.S. “Everything was new for me, and my family has been under a lot of financial stress, but I did not want our situation to prevent me from continuing my education.”

Firouzeh hopes to earn an MD/PhD, and to use her knowledge not only in the clinic and the lab, but also to teach.