Azizah Aziz ’22
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Global Affairs
Azizah is a Global Affairs major set to graduate this Spring 2022 semester. She’s first in her family to attend college and a transfer student who’s proud to call herself a Roadrunner. Read on to learn more!
Being the first to go to college in your family can come with its own set of challenges. Senior Azizah Aziz faced those obstacles head on. With the help of UTSA’s student resources, she excelled through her undergraduate studies and has a bright future ahead of her.
UTSA’s resources for first-generation and transfer students, like Azizah, were part of what drew her to transfer to UTSA from San Antonio College. The First-Generation and Transfer Student Center gave her the guidance she needed to succeed through programs such as peer mentoring, in which returning first-gen students help new students navigate college life. The center also helped Azizah is by promoting events and activities that encouraged students to form good study habits and other helpful practices.
Her decision to major in Global Affairs was motivated by personal experiences. Azizah and her family are Rohingya, one of the most persecuted ethnic minority groups in Southeast Asia. Azizah’s heritage and the challenges that come with it fueled her passion for social justice and human rights. Studying Global Affairs at UTSA has allowed her to pursue that passion.
After graduation, Azizah plans to pursue a humanitarian career. She wants to start her own foundation to help refugees and immigrants—especially her fellow Rohingya—by providing education and resources to those who need it.
Azizah has been able to prepare for this type of career through campus organizations such as the Model United Nations Society, the Public Administration Student Organization (PASO), and UTSA Student Leadership. Azizah advises future Roadrunners to “remember who you are, and be proud of the story, the goal, and the dream you carry with you.”
UTSA encourages students like Azizah to celebrate their backgrounds and use it to create their bold futures.
Find Azizah’s story and more in the Spring 2022 RowdyZine: