“My name is Ali Akhmatov. I moved to the U.S. with the hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon. But before I could pursue that dream, I had to learn English during my first two years of high school. Right after, I became a FACES student. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made throughout my high school career. FACES has taught me more than I could’ve imagined a high school program could teach about the medical field. After numerous rotations at Rady Children’s Hospital, I’ve realized I would not be able to cope with the emotional aspect of dealing with the patients. I am still thankful for all the opportunities FACES has provided including a job at Rady Children’s as an Admin Associate. After about 14 months, I had to quit due to family circumstances. Currently, I am a student at San Diego State University pursuing a degree in Business Administration. My plan is to acquire a second bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. Although both of these degrees are not related to the medical field, FACES has helped me figure out what I want to do in life and who I’d like to become. I already run a small business; hopefully one day I will be able to show my appreciation to the FACES program by creating university scholarships for FACES alumni.”