“By becoming an attorney, I will demonstrate to my father that all his sacrifices have been worthwhile.”

Saja Badawi is a first-generation student earning her bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice from UM-Dearborn. With her father and four siblings, Saja immigrated to the United States in 2019 during her senior year of high school, and the transition was difficult in part because her family spoke little English. But her father encouraged her to believe in herself and persist toward her goals nevertheless, and she was able to graduate high school as planned. Saja says her father “implanted the values of strength and independence” in her.

In college, Saja has thrived academically and socially. She has been on the Dean’s List for three years in a row, and she has served on the boards of student organizations including Students for Justice in Palestine and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Collective. Recently, she completed an internship at a large law firm in southeastern Michigan. Meanwhile, Saja cares for her siblings and her father (who is disabled) at home. About Saja’s persistence, a mentor writes, “Her determination to not only succeed but to excel is inspiring.”

After graduation, Saja intends to continue to law school to become an attorney, a dream that was inspired by the unexpected death of her mother due to medical negligence. As an attorney, she hopes to advocate for victims of medical negligence and for the rights of girls and women in her home country. Saja hopes that her success will inspire her siblings as well as girls in her community to achieve their goals. She also hopes to make her father proud, as she writes: “By becoming an attorney, I will demonstrate to my father that all his sacrifices have been worthwhile.”

CEW+ applauds Saja’s determination and names her the Lucile B. Conger Alumnae Group Scholar.