Rakiya Mohamed ’18 of Auburn, Maine, recounts how she found purpose in her journey at Bates by discovering how she was going to view herself.

“Who am I? I am a scientist, but I am also a scholar in African American studies,” says Mohamed, an immigrant from Ethiopia who has been a prominent Bates voice for racial justice.

“What is the point of getting this education if you’re not going to go out there and do something with it — do something that’s bigger than you?”