Mother and son graduate together during 2022 Commencement Ceremony
Commencement is always an exciting time for students graduating from the West Virginia University School of Medicine, but for mother and son Aisha Rizwan, M.D., and Umer Rizwan, M.D., it provided a moment that they said they will never forget.
On the same day Umer earned his medical degree, Aisha earned her degree from the Clinical and Transitional Science Master’s Program. Aisha said graduating together wasn’t always the plan, but they were so happy they got to celebrate that moment together.
“All of the stars aligned,” she said. “I was originally going to graduate in December, but I got the opportunity to expand on my thesis. That gave me not only the chance to continue my education but to graduate alongside my son.”
Aisha came to WVU two years after Umer became a student at the School of Medicine. Umer and his sister, Saira, came to West Virginia from Saudi Arabia for their education. Both attended West Virginia State University for their undergraduate degrees. After earning his degree in biology, Umer arrived in Morgantown for the next phase of his medical education.
Umer’s experience at WVU, and in West Virginia as a whole, was so positive that it motivated Aisha to return to the classroom for the first time in almost 30 years when she enrolled in the Clinical and Transitional Sciences Master’s Program at the WVU School of Medicine.
Aisha spent her career as an OB-GYN practicing in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia but wanted to join a program that would help her develop her research skills.
In May 2022, Umer and Aisha earned their degrees together. Since Aisha is a physician, she was able to present her son with his doctoral hood during the Commencement ceremony.
“It was a wonderful moment that I will never forget. I am so thankful to all of the faculty and others around us who made this possible,” Aisha said.
Umer said the moment holds a special place in his heart as well, and that he is grateful he got to celebrate the moment of becoming a doctor with the person who inspired him to pursue medicine in the first place.
“My whole life, I aspired to my mother’s example as a physician,” Umer said. “So having her there, earning a degree alongside me, was a dream come true. As a physician, I hope to help care for the people in my community the same way my mother has throughout her career.”
The Rizwans said they look forward to a third member of their family earning their degree from the WVU School of Medicine, as Saira is finishing her second year of the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program.