Ilitch Business graduate sets his sights on medical career

Muhammad Ahmed is a senior majoring in management at the Mike Ilitch School of Business. Muhammad has made the dean’s list every semester in his four years at the Ilitch School and maintains a 3.99 GPA.

His merit scholarships include the Raymond Genick Scholarship, the Lawrence and Charlynne Braun Endowed Scholarship, the WSU Presidential Scholarship and the WSU Scholars Day Award. Ahmed was recently named one of the Ilitch School’s 25 Under 25 honorees for 2020. Reflecting on these scholarships and awards, Ahmed says he is extremely grateful to Wayne State University and the Ilitch School for providing him with the tools to become successful.

“Being selected as a recipient of the 25 Under 25 Award was meaningful to me because it represented all the experiences and opportunities I had at Wayne State, which shaped me into who I am today,” said Ahmed.

Although Ahmed has achieved great academic success, he feels his greatest accomplishment was becoming a Hafiz. “I personally feel that becoming a Hafiz, which is when a Muslim commits the entire Holy Quran to memory, is the single most rewarding achievement of my life. I accomplished this at the age of 10, and I believe it set the tone for my future success as it instilled in me valuable qualities such as discipline and determination.”

Ahmed was able to apply the lessons learned from the Quran to his collegiate experience. He was a member of the inaugural class of Mike Ilitch School of Business student ambassadors and is the religious services director for the WSU Muslim Students Association. Ahmed’s current volunteer experience includes serving as a youth director for the Islamic Association of Michigan and a clinical research assistant for Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Ahmed thanks his family for being his support system. “My family has been my biggest motivation. They have been an unwavering source of support in my life and have helped me with everything I have accomplished. My parents also served as role models to me throughout my entire life and always inspired me to put my best effort into everything I do,” he said.

Ahmed plans on attending medical school after graduation. To gain experience in the field, he worked as medical scribe at the Detroit Medical Center’s Harper University Hospital for two years. He currently works as a medical assistant for the HUDA Clinic, a Detroit facility that offers free healthcare services to the public, and as a patient observation aide for Beaumont Health.

“Although I have decided to go to medical school post-graduation and pursue a career as a physician, being an undergraduate business student really opened my eyes to a whole different sector of healthcare. It pushed me to learn more about the relationship between medicine and business,” Ahmed said.

While excelling in the classroom and managing his various extracurricular activities, Ahmed was able to make unforgettable memories at the Ilitch School.

“My most memorable experience was serving as a student ambassador during the transition to the new Ilitch School building in the District Detroit. It was really interesting and eye-opening to get to work with the faculty and staff and play a role in bringing about changes that would improve student life.

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