I am honored to have had the opportunity to meet and interview my fellow colleague named Alisha Mukhida. She and I were able to hold two separate virtual meetings to discuss both our personal and academic lives. During the first meeting, we took some time to introduce ourselves to one another. The second meeting, however, was spent interviewing each other about our positions in the world of academia and our feelings and opinions towards it. Alisha informed me of many fascinating aspects of her upbringing that shaped who she has become—a 23-year-old young woman craving progression and success in today’s America.

She was born overseas in India, a country deeply rooted in tradition and culture. When asked about her school experience, she mentioned that she spent her school years in different locations. The beginning of her education was spent in India, specifically from pre-school until the ninth grade. Following that, Alisha and her family moved to Africa, where she followed a British education system (i.e., primary and secondary school years) as did all her classmates. She graduated from high school in 2018, before moving abroad to the United States. She decided to move for an opportunity at a higher quality of education.

Before moving to Georgia, Alisha originally lived in Alabama—specifically, on the campus of the University of North Alabama, but this only lasted for one term. When I inquired as to why she decided to transfer schools after just one semester of attending this school, Alisha explained that her brother lives here in Georgia, and her parents recommended for her to move in order for the two of them to be close to one another. Therefore, Alisha decided to transfer to Clark Atlanta University, where she once again only remained for one semester. This time, however, Alisha expressed discontentment with the behavior of her classmates as well as the inconvenient pricing required to attend. After two unsuccessful attempts at finding a school that suited her, Alisha finally decided to choose Georgia State University.

Alisha felt her transition to college was a difficult one. She feels that it is unrealistic for students to be introduced to the lifestyle of college life while not yet having figured who they are. “I didn’t like the fact that I had to come to college knowing nothing. I don’t feel like I knew myself then.” Alisha continuously stressed that she wished college had more counseling for students, especially the freshmen. In addition to this, she mentioned that she was the first in her household to attend college and she felt that due to this, she couldn’t ask her family for feedback, advice, or tips regarding her transition to college. In fact, besides an aunt of hers, none of her family was able to assist with anything concerning her education.

I met a colleague of mine, Alisha Mukhida, and was able to ask her many questions regarding her previous as well as present personal and academic experiences, thoughts, and struggles. She explained to me her relocating several times, and that through this, she was able to reach the US. Alisha highlighted that she chose GSU due to inconveniences when attending other schools. She described her struggles when first beginning college, and through this, I have found that she is a young woman with incredible experiences. I am also very grateful that she was able to find her way to GSU, because if she hadn’t, I may have never met her, and I am very grateful I did.