Columbus State University alumnae Nameera and Sana Khan and their cousin Fiza, who will graduate this December, share more than their last names.

The Columbus natives and aspiring medical doctors all attended Columbus High School and, after graduating, immediately enrolled in Columbus State University—where their mothers also graduated. And, like their mothers, the second-generation Columbus State recent and soon-to-be graduates have their sights on healthcare-related graduate programs at Mercer University.

At Columbus State, Nameera, Sana and Fiza studied biology and participated in the university’s Honors College, Servant Leadership and Competitive Pre-Medicine Studies programs.

“I really can’t put into words what Columbus State University has done for me,” said May 2022 summa cum laude graduate Nameera, the oldest of the three and an aspiring primary care doctor. “Fresh out of high school, I always knew I wanted to be a physician, but I just didn’t know how many doors this university would open for me.”

Those doors included Piedmont Columbus Regional’s neonatal intensive care unit and emergency department, where Nameera (volunteered in a hospital setting, developing her bedside manner as she comforted families. She also assisted with gardening projects and events at the Columbus Botanical Gardens. Through these and other volunteer efforts, she accumulated more than 600 hours of community service through the Servant Leadership Program and Honors College.

Sana, a 2022 alumna now attending the Mercer University School of Medicine in Columbus, gained experience through service and networking. Through the Servant Leadership Program, she volunteered with local medical and social service organizations like Piedmont, Mercy Med Clinic, Open Door Community House and Hope Harbor.

“Each volunteer role directly exposed me to the medical field or the medical needs of underserved populations, further confirming my passion for community service and healthcare,” the future pediatric physician explained.

A senior, Fiza plans to graduate this December and start medical school in the fall of 2026. She currently volunteers at Piedmont’s Bill & Olivia Amos Children’s Hospital, providing emotional support to children and families. She credits the experience with deepening her desire to become a physician.

“Because of the Servant Leadership Program, I already have a plethora of hours to include on my medical school application,” Fiza said. “When I talk to my friends at other colleges, they tell me they don’t have many volunteer hours and will have to take a gap year. The way [Columbus State] has fostered my path to medical school is amazing, and I could not be more thankful.”

NETWORKING & RESEARCH

“[The Honors College] was so instrumental to my success at Columbus State,” Nameera recalled. “Because of the small class sizes, I never felt like I was a number; every professor knew my story and my name, and they invested in me. I can still go back to any of my professors, and they remember me and my goals—for that, I’m forever grateful.”

Fiza said her experience in the Honors College has included building community with her classmates by “…[allowing] me to interact with students who aren’t just biology majors. They include theater, education and just about any other major, which is what I love about the Honors College.”

Like many of their classmates, the Khans enhanced their access to research and faculty mentoring through their majors and Honors College experiences. Nameera studied the effects of pollution on the liver tissues of various fish species and ways to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia. That was a differentiator as she and Sana applied to medical school.

“Columbus State made it extremely easy to build my competitive resume and application by working one-on-one with some of my biology professors on their research,” which Sana added included studying the presence of parasites in largemouth bass in local waterways. “I worked under the supervision of Dr. Harlan Hendricks and Senior Lecturer Elizabeth Klar; both were professors in my senior-level biology courses, which eventually led to them becoming my mentors in this research project.”

Fiza has integrated study abroad with her research and medical school interests on two occasions: a comparative analysis of medical childbirth practices in the U.S. and Botswana, Africa, from the perspective of local villagers, and a comparative community engagement study between Oxford, England, and Columbus. Those, she said, “…have deepened my love for service and strengthened my desire to make a difference in the world as a physician by always being there for others during the most vulnerable and difficult times in their lives.”

MEDICAL SCHOOL PATHWAYS

For each of the Khans, attending medical school remained the ultimate goal, and the university’s Competitive Pre-Medical Studies Program (CPSP) has been a vital component in their continuing education journeys.

“Our faculty are committed to helping our students achieve their dreams of a medical career,” explained Dr. Dan Holt, an associate professor of biology and the program’s director. “That includes fostering their success in the classroom, connecting them with local professionals in the field, and helping them stand out when applying to medical school.”

“Standing out” includes high undergraduate GPAs (CPSP students’ average GPA is 3.7 at the time they graduate), scoring well on the MCATS, and boasting a high acceptance rate to medical schools in Georgia and beyond (CSU’s is around 90%).

“[Through CPSP], I borrowed MCAT textbooks and flashcards and received free practice exams—all of which boosted my exam performance and led to my acceptance into medical school,” Sana explained. “Staying in Columbus [for college] made it easier for me to complete hundreds of shadowing hours with multiple doctors—something I know I would not have been able to achieve at a larger university or in a larger city where students from multiple universities are competing for those same opportunities.”

“Medical students and administrators from Mercer regularly meet with our CPSP students, and we offer tours of the medical campus each year,” Holt explained. “Mercer’s mission to place more physicians in rural and underserved areas of Georgia also resonates with many of our students. This makes remaining in Columbus for medical studies appealing for many of our CPSP graduates, who already call the Chattahoochee Valley home.”

Columbus State’s relationship with Mercer is among the advantages Sana found in being part of the university’s pre-med studies program.

“When it came time to draft a competitive application for medical school, the opportunities Columbus State gave me—one-on-one relationships with my professors, individual research mentorship from my biology professors, and the many volunteer organizations that partner with the university—enhanced my resume,” she added. “CSU allowed me to seize these opportunities.”

MAKING COLLEGE AFFORDABLE

Staying close to home was part of the Khans’ formula for maximizing their college experience and making it affordable. Georgia’s Zell Miller and Hope scholarships were another part of the equation—combined with stipends and scholarships from the Honors College, Servant Leadership Program and Competitive Pre-Medical Studies Program.

“Something in my heart told me to stay in Columbus,” Nameera explained. “Columbus State is a great school, and I thought to myself, ‘Why go off, take out loans and get myself in debt when I know that this school provides so many tremendous opportunities like being close to family support, financial security and the one-on-one attention you receive in your classes with smaller class sizes?’”

“Of course, the quick commute time from my home to campus is a plus,” Sana added, “but the fact that Columbus State is not as massive [as some other Georgia colleges] is a huge plus. It means opportunities were more accessible, and I stood out more easily to my professors.”

“When I graduated, I had zero college debt,” Nameera added. “That’s such peace of mind for my parents and myself, and I feel so fortunate and blessed that Columbus State invested in me and my future in this way.”

“To this day, if anyone asks me about CSU, I will always be the first to say that I don’t think I would have been as successful a college student if I had chosen any other university,” Sana concluded. “I’m just looking forward to watching CSU continue to grow, and I’m thankful for where it has gotten me today.”