Rozhin Fadae

What made you decide to enroll at the University of Maryland?
I decided to enroll at the University of Maryland because it has been my top choice my whole life. My family and I would come to Maryland Day every year, and I remember being infatuated by this school and dreaming about being one of the students I would see at Maryland Day. I had so many pleasant and wholesome memories with my family here. My dad and I loved College Park, and once he passed away I was able to feel his presence during the school year through our memories here.

What major/career path do you plan on pursuing and how did you select that path?
I aim to go to medical school and become a cardiothoracic surgeon. I plan to remain as a biological sciences major, but I also want to pursue a business minor. I selected this path because when I was 12, I was watching cartoons on YouTube when a live brain surgery showed up in my suggested tab. I was terrified but curious, so I watched the whole thing. From that day on I fell in love with the surgical world and have been set on pursuing the field ever since. In 2020, my dad passed away from a sudden heart attack and all I wanted to do was speak to his surgical team. After a lot of research and consulting with many other surgeons and discovering that his did not do the best they could have, I became set on heart surgery as my future career path so I could prevent something like this from happening to even just one other person.

Activities I do outside of class or community service/volunteer activities I'm involved with:
I have been alternating shadowing two cardiothoracic surgeons and a general dentist during the week. I also love participating in Chesapeake Bay drives, since I live close enough to it, and participating in protests and activist roles in Washington, D.C. Baking is another huge passion of mine, and I run a successful one-woman baking business.

Aside from academics, what else do you hope to take away from your time at Maryland?
I hope to have met people who will be my family after college. I want to meet my best friends, the kinds of people I know will be at my wedding and meeting my future children one day. College is the best place to achieve such bonds, and I cannot wait for them to form.

What are your future goals after graduation?
My biggest goal is to move to Manhattan. If I could have any career anywhere, my dream would be to be a heart surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. I also want four poodles.