Abeer Alziadi

“I want to show my younger brothers that hard work does pay off.”

In the middle of her senior year of high school, Abeer moved to Syracuse from New York City with her mother and three younger brothers. She struggled with the upheaval, and withdrew from her classmates.

After graduating from high school Abeer was trying to enroll at Onondaga Community College, but her dad filed the family’s taxes and he hadn’t yet moved to Syracuse. Recognizing her struggles, a guidance counselor, Marinda Williams, directed Abeer to On Point for College. “My father was self-employed and everything was so complicated, but we had the paperwork done in just a few minutes,” she remembers.

Abeer graduated from OCC and transferred to Syracuse University to pursue a degree in social work. She has volunteered with Mercy Works and volunteers with On Point to help with summer orientations, where she shares her personal experience with new college students. She says her goal is to set an example for other Muslim women and for her siblings.

Abeer received many supports from On Point, but she is most grateful for the kindness she was shown when Marinda, her guidance counselor, tragically and unexpectedly passed away. “It was the first time I had to deal with a close death and they helped me through every step,” she said.