For the past several years, Aldridge has supported the Greenhouse Scholar Program, most recently sponsoring Sanah Ahmed. A student of Cornell University's class of 2023, she is working to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, a cause that is near and dear to the Aldridge family. She was introduced to the disease at the age of 14 when her father’s diabetes became difficult to manage. She took the initiative to educate herself on how to best care for him. With an extreme passion for helping those in need, her father became her first patient and ignited a flame inside her to become a physician.
This year, college has looked different for students across the country and Sanah is no exception. Students at Cornell were given the choice between returning to campus or learning remotely. Because most classes were still only being offered online, Sanah chose remote learning. She says that it has been difficult, but Sanah has made the most of it and continues to do amazing work for her school and her community.
To stay connected she has become active in more clubs, allowing her to meet new people. As the daughter of Indian immigrants, she joined a club that raises awareness of Muslims in China that are in concentration camps. She is also an Ambassador for the Women's network, a supportive network for women on campus. Sanah is also a math TA for inmates at a local jail, which is done virtually. Sanah is staying connected to friends via Facetime, including high school friends who are still in the Chicago area.
Sanah has a break from December to February and she is planning to reach out to professors to see if she can work with them in a lab on the vaccine and study of COVID-19, which again shows her passion for helping those in need. As a pre-med student, she says that she feels a higher level of responsibility to remain diligent on CDC protocols on social distancing, hand washing, and face coverings.
Each year, Greenhouse Scholars hosts a symposium where all students in the program fly out to Boulder, Colorado for several days of immersive activities. COVID struck again and the symposium was held virtually this year. That did not stop Sanah from diving in and getting the most she could out of the event. Sanah was elected by her peers to lead a community cohort to work on a student advocacy platform for high school students.
Greenhouse Scholars' vision is to create a community of leaders who will evolve the communities of the world and Sanah truly embodies what it means to be a Greenhouse Scholar.
Learn more about Sanah and the Greenhouse Scholar Program here: