Childhood often gives us a glimpse into who we'll become. That rings true for Washington Heightsborn, firstgeneration scholar Shaheed Ashraf Thabit. A visit to the doctor as a youngster sparked his interest in medicine. And a walk on campus with his mother, where she proclaimed that he would one day stroll across College Walk as a student, fueled his desire to attend Columbia.

Fast forward years later, and Thabit is now a premed junior at Columbia College, majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior, who hopes to use medicine as an avenue to uplift his community. We spoke with the Dyckman Institute Scholar about his upbringing in Washington Heights, representation in medicine, and what makes Uptown special.

Learn more about the Dyckman Institute Scholarship: https://neighbors.columbia.edu/conten...

Connect with Neighbors:
Website: https://neighbors.columbia.edu/
Instagram:   / columbianeighbors  
Facebook:   / columbianeighbors  
Twitter:   / neighborshub