One of my biggest role models is my sister, a 2019 Santaluces graduate who is soon going to be graduating from Florida State University. While recognizing her accomplishments, I think it’s important to recognize the journey it took for her to get there. 

Aliya Linan spent most of her high school years staying as involved as possible. While at Santa, she was a part of the student council, SGA, newspaper, volleyball, NHS, and NAHS. Her biggest role was being president of the National Honor Society. She recalls some of her favorite memories that took place in her psychology class with Mr. Gray. He actually plays a big role in her decision to major in psychology. 

After graduating with her AICE diploma, Aliya began classes at FSU. At FSU, she joined a Hispanic-based sorority called Kappa Delta Chi. Aliya explained how this allowed her to make many new connections that ultimately introduced her to volunteering experiences, job opportunities, and most importantly, friends. She states, ¨Being a part of a Hispanic sorority at a large university and being seven hours away from my family really helped me find the people I could call family and that I related the most to.¨ 

During her college experience, Aliya was president of two organizations: Resilient Noles, which advocates for students’ mental health, and Medical Brigades, where she helped plan a medical mission trip to Guatemala this past spring. Aliya’s ultimate goal in life is helping others who are in need, and when she heard about Medical Brigades, she was eager to be involved. During their trip, they provided dental care, consultations, and gynecological care, and prescribed glasses to people without access to these necessities. Aliya said, ¨ I´m glad I was able to experience the mission trip this year, it opened my eyes and motivated me even more to become a physician assistant.¨

This May, Aliya will be graduating with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in chemistry on a pre-physician assistant track. Her hard work has paid off, but this is only the beginning for her, as I know she will continue to exceed the world’s expectations.