Some members of Dr. Fadumo Isse's family like to affectionately call her "stubborn."
That's because she has pursued higher education with a laser focus since she was a little girl growing up in Somalia.
Growing up in a large family , she has followed that passion first to Jordan and then to the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Now Isse has graduated with her PhD from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and is starting work as a postdoctoral fellow, with her sights set on a future doing research that makes a difference for human health.
"They don't mean stubborn in a bad way," Isse says. "It's more like they recognize that I am going to get educated no matter what, and circumstances will not deter me.
"Maybe 'determined' is more appropriate."
Call it what you will, Isse's intelligence and strength of character have allowed her to jump through innumerable personal and academic hoops, winning scholarships every step of the way.
"Fadumo is an exceptionally motivated, independent and detail-oriented researcher," says her PhD and postdoctoral supervisor Dr. Ayman El-Kadi, professor and associate dean of research for pharmacy. "She combines strong critical thinking with outstanding productivity, producing an impressive number of publications and presentations during her graduate training."
More than that, Isse is always willing to share her hard-won knowledge with others, volunteering to help other international students, taking on a leadership role among pharmacy students or encouraging her younger siblings back home.
"I always tell them, 'You can do it. Nothing is impossible. You just have to have the passion to continue,'" she says. "I'm glad that I am the person who's motivating them."
Following a dream
Isse didn't have hobbies as a child. She just loved to study. It was her father who encouraged her to pursue that dream.
"He was always the big motivator in my life to be an educated person," she says of her dad, who passed away 10 years ago. "He encouraged me to complete my high school, go to university and potentially continue to graduate studies."
He was cheering her on when she won a scholarship to enterJordan University of Science and Technology. It meant travelling alone to the other side of the continent, more than 5,000 miles from home.
She knew she wanted to choose a field of study that would have human impact. When she got into the doctor of pharmacy program, a six-year certificate, she felt grateful.
She was just 18, living on her own for the first time. She found herself in a new country, learning a new language and finding her way as a scholar.
"I figured out this is my field. I loved it. It is wonderful when you start something and then you realize, 'Wow, I have huge passion in this area.' That's how it played out for me."
She found she was fascinated by studying drugs at a molecular level to figure out how they work to treat disease and improve human health.
Her next move took her even farther from home, 10,000 kilometres away from the Middle East to the Canada, thanks to a scholarship from the University of Alberta and assistance from World University Service of Canada (WUSC).
She arrived in late summer.
"Volunteers helped us to get educated about winter and how to dress and prepare us, but still we were in shock," she recalls. "The first winter was the hardest. Then you get familiar with the next winter and now we are OK. But everything is different - how to get groceries, how to commute from your place."
