Shaheed receives her high school merit award in Bangladesh. Photo: Saiyara Shaheed
By Cydney Heed
Staff Writer
In a world where distance learning has become the norm, Saiyara Shaheed is taking things to the next level.
The 18-year-old is taking virtual classes at WCC while living across the world in Bangladesh.
“I’m completely nocturnal. Completely,” Shaheed said.
Shaheed was born in Atlanta and lived in the U.S. for nine years before her grandfather’s death brought her family back to Bangladesh.
“We came for a visit and then my grandfather passed away, so my dad had to handle a lot of stuff and we ended up moving here,” Shaheed said. “I was supposed to go back for college, but because of the pandemic I’ve kind of been stuck here.”
Given the 10-hour time difference between Michigan and Bangladesh, Shaheed has had to adapt to living most of her life at night.
“I’ll probably be waking up around 7 p.m., doing class, getting all the homework and everything done, and then going to sleep at 8 in the morning. So I completely reprogrammed my biological clock to run that way.”
Although she is enjoying her classes, Shaheed says that maintaining a different schedule than the rest of her family has been difficult.
Shaheed said, “I have a little brother as well… and like I help him with his school work and everything, and I haven’t really been able to do that with my nocturnal habits. So that’s a bit of a challenge.”
Shaheed has been “completely nocturnal,” staying up all night to attend her classes from across the world. Photo: Saiyara Shaheed
Shaheed is currently taking Calculus I, Composition I, and Introduction to Psychology. She will add more classes to her schedule as the semester continues.
On top of her classes, Shaheed practices virtually with WCC’s competitive dance team.
“It is a little bit strange, dancing around the house at 5:30 in the morning, but it has been quite fun so far, and I’m looking forward to real-life practice sessions once the pandemic ends,” she said.
Despite having to contend with an unconventional experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shaheed is planning for the future.
“I aim to be a medical lawyer. So hoping for law school,” she says.
She added, “I preferably would probably do it in the U.S. because I have residency and everything. It’s also more comfortable for me. I’ve been here for about nine years and there for nine years and it would be a good time for me to go back.”
So far, Shaheed is happy with her choice to study at WCC, despite the distance.
“It never hurts to save up. Specifically, I felt like it was the smarter choice for me,” she said.
“The professors are amazing so far, and I really appreciate that.”
(Listen to the whole conversation on YouTube.)
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