Categories
Commencement Student News

Goal accomplished!

My name is Safa Mustafa and I am proud to call myself a Dunwoody alumna.

I am a mother to two beautiful children under the age of 10. I am an international and a non-traditional student. 

I share my story with the hope that it will resonate with others who are on a similar journey. 

I came to the United States in 2012 from Sudan with a goal to complete the education I started eight years earlier.  I had earned an associate’s degree in Architecture, and gained experience working in a firm in Khartoum. 

But I wanted more. 

When I arrived in this country, my son was only 9 months old and the responsibility of caring for one so young left my educational goals to simmer on the back burner. 

I wrote down my goals in a note so I would not lose track of my dream. 

First on the list was to earn a Bachelor of Architecture. 

Five years passed. 

My son started kindergarten and my daughter began preschool.  

Safa Mustafa with children

That same year I enrolled in the Bachelor of Architecture program at Dunwoody, determined to complete what I started 15 years earlier. 

The balance of being a full-time student, having a full-time job and also being a mother to two active children was hard. 

But, I made it. 

I never gave up on my dream. The relationships I built with my classmates, the faculty and the friendly Dunwoody environment saw me through to the end. 

I can check that first goal off the list. 

Last night, my name was called during the Commencement ceremony, recognizing my achievement  as a graduate from the Bachelor of Architecture program. 

I want to say thank you to Dunwoody for all of the support you have given me.

But I am not done yet. 

I am going after my master’s.

I am still Born To Do.