Amro Al Ashi

Amro Al Ashi was in his second year of a six-year medical degree program when his family was forced to evacuate in Gaza, Palestine. It was the fifth and final time they would leave their home in the war-torn country. 

Amro, his parents and three brothers boarded a bus bound for Jordan with only the possessions they could carry. They made their way to the United States in August of 2014, settling in South Florida where Amro’s father had once attended college.

Just happy to be alive, Amro stopped thinking about becoming a doctor. As a Muslim, he felt lost in a Muslim-minority country. But as the sounds of war became more distant, his ambition returned. Five months after arriving in the United States, Amro enrolled as a biology major at FIU, immersing himself in university life. He developed close bonds with his professors, and worked as a learning assistant and tutor. He participated in research programs including a 12-week fellowship at the University of Michigan. He flourished in the Honors College, where his academic success was closely aligned with community service, something that was not an education priority in Palestine. He volunteered with several medical programs and at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Each experience has guided Amro on a path to medical school which he will begin next year. He plans to specialize in pediatric cardiology and wants to join Doctors Without Borders someday, providing lifesaving humanitarian care in countries like his native Palestine.

By JoAnn Adkins
Director of Marketing and Communications
College of Arts, Sciences & Education