EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY FEATURE
The start of the journey
The path to choosing a university degree was not without challenge
for Somia. While studying A levels with a view to attending
university, originally she was destined to study pharmacy; a dream
that was not her own, but more of her father’s.
‘He meant well,’ she stresses, ‘but culturally there is an unspoken
pressure within the Asian community that the women either stay
at home, or become successful. However, successful is only
recognised in limited forms, such as a doctor, pharmacist or lawyer.’
Despite writing a personal statement to apply for pharmacy
courses, and even volunteering in a pharmacy to get experience,
Somia knew that she did not want to do this for a living.
‘I had personal experience with an occupational therapist, which
is how I knew about the profession,’ she explains. ‘I decided to
seek further voluntary experience to ensure this was the path for
me. And it was. I fell in love with the profession instantly. So I made
the decision to sit down with my father and tell him I was no longer
pursuing pharmacy as a career.
‘I was anxious and delayed this for as long as I could. I felt
like I was letting him down somehow. Unfortunately when I sat
him down and had the conversation about my future, my fears
were confirmed. He did not support my decision and could not
understand why I would want a job that is unheard of and not as
well paid.
‘Despite my efforts to sell my decision, it was not well received
and he believed I was making a huge mistake. The reason I am
sharing this is not to blast my father, because he is an amazing
man, and he now sees the reason behind my decision and
wholeheartedly supports me and is proud of me.
‘But the culture he has been brought up around created this idea
of what my life should be like. Before I’d even begun my course I
felt I was in a battle against this expectation, as I was also the first
female from his side of the family to go to university.’
University life
Like most students, Somia was extremely nervous on her first
day at university. ‘I remember looking around the room to see my
new cohort (of around 60). I distinctly remember seeing a range of
ages, but not a range of colour, within my class,’ she remembers.
‘This instantly left me feeling isolated. As the morning
continued, I felt myself naturally drawing towards the three other
students of colour (one of these students left at the end of first
year to pursue a different career).
‘Although I got closer to other students over the course of the
year, I would be lying if I said I didn’t spend the majority of my time
with the other students of colour.’
From conversations with others, Somia knows she is fortunate
that she doesn’t recollect any negative experiences from either
fellow students or lecturers. ‘I think in my first year I was my own
biggest oppressor, in terms of not stepping outside my comfort
zone, and I don’t entirely know why,’ she reflects.
When it came to her first placement, which was in a high secure
male unit, she remembers: ‘I felt physically sick and genuinely
Somia Elise Jan
petrified around how service users might react to me wearing a
hijab. Would I be safe?
‘I remember going on my pre-placement visit and sheepishly
asking “Will the patients try to strangle me with my own scarf?”
‘I think this was a combination of anxiety around being in the
unfamiliar setting of a high secure unit and my own anxieties
about responses I might get for wearing a scarf. My educator was
lovely and reassured me where she could.
‘She was not aware of any other staff members who wore the
hijab, but advised I tucked my scarf in as a precaution. Again,
fortunately, I went through the placement with no problems from
staff or service users, and in fact my hijab sparked off some positive
conversations with both staff and service users about Islam.’
While during the summer before starting university Somia
had made the decision to wear a hijab (headscarf) for religious
reasons, a year into her journey she took the personal decision to
remove her hijab.
‘I did this for many reasons,’ she says, ‘but primarily I felt I was
not doing the hijab justice as I was not practising all elements of
my religion. So, for me personally, it did not feel right to wear it at
that time.
‘While I had no negative experiences while wearing it, I felt a
sense of relief, almost like I fitted in more with my cohort and I
spoke to more people in the remaining years. I don’t think this was
because others could approach me more easily without the hijab,
or perhaps it was. I can only comment on my feelings at the time.
‘Without my hijab I oddly felt I was able to speak out more
freely and have more conversations. This has left me feeling
uneasy as I have become closer to my religion. I realise now I
should never be ashamed of my religion, I should be proud, and I
am. This is something that has come to me over time and through
personal growth.’
While throughout the rest of her time at university or on
placement, particularly after removing her hijab, Somia was
not asked about her religion or culture – ‘I’m not sure if this is
because, on the surface, I do not look like I am of mixed ethnicity,
as I am quite pale skinned’ – her name would generally spark
some conversation on pronunciation.
‘In some situations I have shortened my name to Mia,’ she
says. ‘For whatever reason, people generally struggle with my
name and I have found it really difficult to continually correct them.
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