College is a journey in which you find yourself, in old pieces and new. In full circle moments and in the first arcs that shape them. In shaping a personality you want to carry and in the parts you prefer to leave behind. In a few short years, it’s time to leave, not just having studied a subject, but also yourself along the way. At graduation, once you walk across the stage, you step into the real world. The rapid pace of the four years emphasizes how college isn’t supposed to be for finding room to get comfortable. It’s where you find yourself to know who you’re going to be when you leave, and Fatimah Waqas, FCRH ’26, has made sure to do just that.
Waqas started her journey at Fordham University in 2022 as a student at the Lincoln Center campus from Skaneateles, New York, majoring in English and history, despite her wishes to pursue law. It wasn’t until she experimented with the core requirements that she officially switched over to her current majors: Political science and international studies, on the pre-law track.
She recalls starting off as “such a timid and reserved 17 year old kid,” afraid of the environment and everything new that surrounded her. An example Waqas gives is her experience with the NYC subway system: “I wouldn’t even think about stepping onto a train alone. I always had to be with friends if I went anywhere. That fear wasn’t just about the subway; it reflected how I felt about navigating everything new and unfamiliar.”
Yet with time and some hard decisions, Waqas eventually found her place, after she transferred to Rose Hill for her sophomore year. “As much as I loved LC, I came to realize that Rose Hill is my true home … There’s always something happening, and the sense of community is incredible. It truly feels like a classic college campus, and the people here have been nothing short of wonderful,” Waqas said. She was able to find herself and gain confidence. Her confidence was one of the first things I noticed when I met Waqas in her junior year.
From then on, she has truly made herself one with the community at the Rose Hill campus through her diverse list of involvements. She was previously involved in the Fordham University South Asian Entity (FUSE) as Executive Secretary to connect herself with others who shared her South Asian roots. Waqas has now moved on to being President of the Pakistani Students Association, a club she worked hard to revive after two years of dormancy. Choosing to be more involved in these particular organizations allows Waqas to not only foster a deeper connection with her heritage, but also provide an environment for other students to learn more about South Asian and, more specifically, Pakistani culture, while simultaneously uniting students of the same heritage. In addition, she is also Creative Director of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), a role that comes after years of her involvement in the organization, allowing her to connect with many others from the same faith, as well as those who are not and simply wish to enjoy the community-based events.
The list only continues as Waqas is the current Special Events Lead of the Rose Hill Society, a role through which her love for Fordham is emphasized, and she notes that she was also previously involved in the Residence Halls Association (RHA). Ever the well-rounded individual, Waqas is also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, a testament to her academic excellence alongside it all.
Specifically when talking about professional growth, Waqas attributes her development to Fordham’s Career Center, to which she wishes to give the biggest shoutout: “Working there has been a fundamental part of my Fordham experience. I picked up so many skills and was able to network with so many people.” She says it’s how she was able to land a seven month internship at the NYC mayor’s office during her junior year.
The journey from being an extremely shy first-year to having a prominent presence on campus takes so much growth, and Waqas herself took a moment to reflect on the huge jump she’s been able to make. “Freshman year, I couldn’t even take public transportation by myself, but now I was commuting an hour and a half away from campus by myself every single day for my internship,” she said. “Freshman year, I couldn’t even speak in front of more than five people without panicking; now, I [give] campus tours to groups of 25 to 30 people. Freshman year, I used to shy away from leadership completely; I remember I once left a club meeting in tears because I messed up something important. Now, I’m so grateful that I get the opportunity to be President of the Pakistani Students Association (PSA) and create something special for Pakistanis on campus, as well as contribute to student life at Fordham.” These parallels go to show how the college journey is by no means defined by the first-year experience, because there is so much more to look forward to.
Whether it be connecting with her culture or gaining professional valuable skills, Waqas has pretty much done it all, allowing herself to be fully connected with her experience at Fordham. “As we prepare to leave, the ache is real. It’s kinda hard to think of a life beyond Fordham because being a Ram teaches you to root yourself in people, ideas and justice,” she said. “And sometimes to uproot is to grieve. But even as seniors when we pack and part, we know that to be a Ram is not to just stay, it is also to carry forward the lessons, love and responsibility we learned from this beautiful place and its beautiful people.”
seniors when we pack and part, we know that to be a Ram is not to just stay, it is also to carry forward the lessons, love and responsibility we learned from this beautiful place and its beautiful people.”
