Metropolitan State University

Hamisha Alkamooneh

Home Country: Iran
Anticipated Graduation: 2022
Degree/Major: Advocacy and Political Leadership Master’s Program

Hamisha Alkamooneh is a first-generation Iranian-American and a proud middle eastern woman of Persian and Arab descent. She is a feminist, writer, poet, a single mother, and a proponent of racial equity and social justice. 

Her journey to success at Metropolitan State has been challenging, “I came from a low-income immigrant background. My home life was rough, so I left home for the first time at 14 years old,” Hamisha says. “By 18, my luck had run thin and I was not able to complete my final semester of high school, primarily because of financial barriers. As a drop-out, I really struggled to find my way into college. It wasn’t until I turned 21, when I left a bad relationship, pregnant and with a toddler in tow, while living in my car mid-Minnesota winter, that I finally earned my GED.” 

At Metropolitan State, Hamisha worked to confront her challenges. “I lacked direction and struggled with imposter syndrome. Through a myriad of mentors including staff, administrators, adjunct faculty members, and other students, I was given the tools and the push to step up as a leader and find myself as a student.” She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and is now a graduate student in the Advocacy and Political Leadership program, Cohort 31. She will complete her masters in Spring 2022. 

Hamisha is president of the Metropolitan State University Student Association and a board member of Students United. She currently serves on two university councils and co-chairs the Student Affairs Council for the Minnesota State System Office. 

“It is hard to find a sense of belonging within higher education when you come from a background like mine. I often wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t found Metropolitan State. At Metro, I’ve met so many other students like me, and I just can’t imagine fitting in this well somewhere else.”