Majd Abdulghani spent two years recording her life, and eventually her story was edited into “Majd’s Diary: Two Years in the Life of a Saudi Girl,” which recently received the Best Documentary Silver award at the Third Coast International Audio Festival.
“I want to prove that being a Muslim, Saudi woman who wears a head scarf doesn’t stop me from being a scientist,” Abdulghani says in the piece.
On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe talks with Abdulghani, who is currently getting her master’s degree in genetics, development and cell biology at Iowa State University. Abdulghani says she would like to earn a PhD, have her own lab one day, and continue to upset the stereotypes that many people have of women in Saudi Arabia.
"My experience as a Saudi woman was generally a happy one," she says. "I’m proud to be from Saudi Arabia. I love my country, and I hope to go back and improve what needs improvement.”
An update to Majd's story: She is now Saudi Arabia's very first Rhodes Scholar, and she will pursue a doctoral degree in oncology at the University of Oxford. In December of 2018, Charity Nebbe spoke with her about this new opportunity.