Name: Maheen Khan
Age: 21
Hometown: I grew up in a lot of different places. I was born in Peshawar, Pakistan, but I moved to America when I was three. After that, my family moved around a lot, but if I had to choose a hometown, it would either be Panama City, Florida because I lived there a while or Richmond, VA, since I’ve lived here a good chunk of my life.
Major: I am a biology and psychology double-major.
Year: Senior
Why did you choose VCU?
One of the things that really drew me into VCU was the diversity. I know everyone talks about how diverse it is, but when you visit other campuses, you see the contrast between diversity on this campus and on other campuses. You can really understand why it would make a difference for someone of color or someone who is a minority. I’m really glad I chose this school because VCU has a great medical program and there are a lot of medical opportunities on campus.
If you could, what advice would you give yourself freshman year?
I would tell myself to get a study plan or not use the same study skills I used in high school. I came into a lot of my classes thinking I could study the same way I did in high school, even though a lot of people warned me against that. It’s still stuck to me for some reason, but I wish I could’ve been more proactive about that in my freshman year.
Who or what inspires you the most?
I would definitely say my mom because she’s such a hardworking woman. She was a doctor while she was in Pakistan, and after she moved here she wanted to focus on taking care of the kids. She still wanted to work as a physician, but since she was taking care of us, she couldn’t. But after we grew up, she decided she wanted to be a physician again, so she took years to study for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLEs). She passed all of them, and she’s currently looking for residencies. I just feel like every time I talk to her, she gives me something inspirational, especially in terms of my womanhood. She has always encouraged me to never let myself be put down by a man, reminded me to always be independent and to never have to rely on a man. I don’t know if other mothers tell their daughters this, but I think it’s extremely important. I really love her for telling me things like that.
What organizations or clubs are you involved with on campus?
I am in Emerging Healthcare Leaders, and I am their national president. I have been involved with them since freshman year but became more active starting sophomore year. I am also the president of the Baby Box Project and involved in some social organizations including the Muslim Student Association.
I know you’re the president of a new organization on campus called the Baby Box Project, could you tell me a little bit more about it?
I was inspired by this article I saw on BBC News about Finnish baby boxes. The idea of the Finnish baby box is that it provides a mattress, bedding and the basic supplies for an infant of zero to six months old. They have onesies, bibs, bottles, limited amount of diapers, pacifiers and other things all inside the box. I think in Finland they provide these boxes to all new mothers because it is a state-run program. I thought it would be a really cool idea to give something like that to women who are in difficult financial positions because they may not have enough money to buy a crib, and when they decide not to buy a crib, their child may have a higher likelihood of dying from preventable causes. I talked to the maternity staff at a free clinic in the Richmond area called Crossover Ministry to see if they were interested in partnering, since they have the target population of women who are uninsured and may have difficulty buying baby supplies. They decided to help and are willing to let us provide the boxes to their patients. Over this past summer, I was thinking about how to get started, got all my friends on board and submitted the papers to become a new student organization. And since September, we have started our activities. We’re fundraising right now because we have a goal of $500, but it’s difficult because we cannot gain some fundraising opportunities since we aren’t a certified nonprofit organization. However, we’re working toward it and just passed the halfway mark toward our goal. We’re on Facebook and we have a Crowdrise fundraising page if anyone ever wants to donate to us, and once we have our bank account initialized, we can use any money we raise to purchase the materials for the first baby box.
What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
I hate talking about myself in a positive way, but I feel I am very driven, focused and compassionate. A lot of people tell me I’m like their mother because I am always making sure my friends are okay. In terms of being driven and focused, I am always paying attention to my school work, and if I ever want to start something, I go for it.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope I’ll either be in residency or practicing as a physician.
And If I could ask, what do you want to do when you become a doctor?
I’m not sure yet, but I do like neuroscience and anything related to the brain, so maybe neurology. I haven’t had enough experience, and I’m sure medical school will give me that experience to make a decision.
To donate or stay updated on the Baby Box Project:
Crowdrise: The Baby Box Project
Facebook: BabyboxRVA
(Photos 1 and 2 by Hailey McQuiller, Photo 3 from the Baby Box Project Facebook)