From Munich to Mesa, Meet Maryem, Our Youngest Graduate from the Class of 2025!

I was born in Munich, Germany, but moved to California right before I turned a year old; so unfortunately, I do not speak German. I lived in San Jose until I was eight, then I moved to San Diego, where I have been for the latter half of my life. I was homeschooled until I was thirteen years old, after which, due to my parents’ divorce, I spent approximately seven months in a public high school before graduating, with my homeschooling credits transferring toward my diploma. Since I was unable to travel out-of-state and was not able to secure a spot at a local university, I came to Mesa at the age of fourteen. The seven months I spent in public school were socially isolating, as I was very different from other students, in regard to both academics and maturity, with few common interests; it was also difficult to deal with the slow pace of classes, especially since I had already learned many of the things the school was teaching us. College was not much of an adjustment as I was more used to lecture-style, college-paced courses. That said, the calculus series was challenging to complete.

 I am graduating with degrees in Political Science, Italian, and Mathematics. I want to pursue a career in international politics; the first two degrees are for that reason, and because I love learning languages. I pursued the mathematics degree in order to become well-rounded with better analytical and quantitative reasoning skills. My first professor at Mesa, when I was taking MATH 150 (Calculus 1) in the summer of 2023, encouraged me to continue the Calculus sequence, which directed me toward the mathematics degree I am now receiving. My Italian professors, Paula and Paola, have been amazing, and made me feel like I belonged despite my age. Last year, I earned the William Cyran Memorial Scholarship for social sciences, and this year I earned both the Jeff Berry Languages Scholarship and The Graziella Spinelli Italian Language Scholarship. These scholarships encouraged me as they relate directly to my desired field of work. Over the past two years, I have improved my time management skills, and through the many papers I have been assigned, improved my writing ability. I am far more confident in mathematics, and I feel I am well-prepared to take on foreign language and upper-division political science courses this fall.

Though I have not been involved with many clubs, I feel I am well-connected to Mesa’s campus. Over the past two years, I have spent quite a lot of time in the Writing Center, whether just relaxing or talking and getting to know the tutors, students, and faculty that frequent it. I had many insightful discussions there, and it is my favorite place on campus, with some of my favorite people.

 I am transferring in the fall to the University of California San Diego (UCSD), majoring in International Studies – Political Science, at Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC). In addition to its unique culture and requirements, ERC is named after one of the main contributors to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so I feel that it will be a great fit for me and my area of study. After continuing on to graduate school, I hope to eventually work with international political and humanitarian issues at the United Nations in Geneva, likely as part of the Secretariat. Through both academic and practical work, I aspire to become a leading voice in my field of study, helping to analyze international happenings and using my analytical capacity to help those impacted by international conflicts.

 If I were to give my past self advice, it would be to not worry as much about having to prove myself. I often worried about proving myself and my ability because of my age, and I now know I have no need to do so. While challenging, college is not that serious. Everyone runs off caffeine and chocolate milk, and at some point, I brought a stuffed animal with me to show-and-tell for Italian class. Overall, I am proudest of completing my mathematics courses. They were the hardest courses I have taken, and I questioned whether I should complete the Associate of Arts in Mathematics several times. As I am leaving Mesa, I will miss the culture most. While I eagerly anticipate my time at UCSD, I will miss the way Mesa has guided me through these last two years into becoming the person I am now. I am honored to be part of the Class of 2025.

Tags: Commencement, #WeAreMesa, #SDMesaGrads