Kudos to IE Kuhn Scholar and Pre Grad intern Shama Momin, the first in her family to graduate from college, who has been accepted to and will enroll in Columbia’s psychology in education graduate program next fall.

“The path to your career comes in various forms,” says Shama. “This is what I’ve learned from participating in the IE mentorship program. I worked as a research assistant in a few labs, leading me to become passionate about research in general. However, IE helped enhance this passion and I was encouraged to apply to Columbia University because of IE. Being accepted into the Masters of Arts program in Psychology in Education, I will be able to incorporate everything I have learned from the labs and integrate it with my research interests. I now can find a career that I want to pursue.  When I complete my PhD I aspire to work in academia as a professor and researcher. IE was the first step—and Columbia is the next step, helping me find what is truly intriguing.”

“I come from a working class family and I’m the first one to ever go so far in education. My parents have done their job; they’ve accomplished what they’ve always wanted for me. By joining the IE program and going through graduate school applications, the search for multiple schools, professors, and trying to determine what my actual research interests are, I’ve definitely learned more than I expected,” Shama said.

And like many IE students, Shama found that she was offered opportunities that she might not otherwise have. “Through IE I was immediately offered opportunities that otherwise may not have been available to me. From day one, I was incredibly grateful to be part of the program. I am now one step closer to my goals and the skills I’ve gained throughout this internship have prepared me well for graduate school and beyond. I’ve gained hands on experience in research—how to design and conduct experiments, how to perform data analysis—and so much more,” she said.

Watch a video clip of Shama:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bAS6B-wgc0&feature=youtu.be