Hikmat Abou Shahla

Biography

Well-versed in inhumanity, Hikmat Abou Shahla decided to push toward the opposite extreme, love—of science, leadership, hard work, and … fellow humans.

“I come from Rashaya, Lebanon, a very small town about 30 minutes from the Syrian border, but also one mountain away from Palestine,” explains the Master’s (Entry into Nursing) student. “So, it’s kind of like in the middle of all of it.”

Meaning endless conflict between regional neighbors; a decades-long recovery from Lebanon’s own ruinous civil war; man-made disasters like a 2020 chemical explosion in Beirut that killed hundreds and injured thousands including Abou Shahla, a first responder (“after barely starting my surgical tech training program in Lebanon”). He remembers hiding at a grandmother’s house at age 4 from incoming missiles and, later, surviving a vicious personal assault.

Abou Shahla has seen and felt shocking violence. Somehow, his affection for people has only grown.

Learn more about Hikmat Abou Shahla’s journey to the MSN (Entry into Nursing) program.