In the News · Western Herald
WMU student shares harrowing journey escaping Rohingya genocide at Board of Trustees meeting
Western Herald · April 19, 2026 · By Madelyn Sneller
Summary
What the story covers
WMU’s student newspaper covered my remarks to the WMU Board of Trustees on April 16, 2026, where I was honored as one of three recipients of the WMU/AAUP Scholarship for First-Generation Students.
The article retells my journey from Burma in 2015, through detention in Thailand, to Michigan in 2016, and my path to Western Michigan University in 2022.
It closes with my goals: to graduate in 2027, build a career as a professional electrical engineer, and advocate for students and displaced people facing barriers.
I hope to give back to students who face barriers.
Shofi Alom, in Western Herald