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Hawa Itayem

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The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, and one of five children in the family, Hawa Itayem chose summer study to cut a year of high school and recently graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University magna cum laude in secondary education. Now, at 19 and about to embark on her master’s degree, Itayem talks about her background, her multi-cultural approach to life and her hopes for her own future as well as that of America.

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Tell us a little about your background/heritage, including when the family moved here; what they did over there, and how they assimilated with the culture here.

We are Palestinians and both parents were born in the West Bank. My father moved in the ‘70s after high school. My mother came when she was seven and then went back a few years later, returning in high school.

My parents met in Florida. We moved to Marco Island in 1995 because of the family business.

Although Marco Island is not known to hold a large Palestinian/Arab community, my parents always kept the culture alive in the house: religion, traditions, language, food and music.

We (my siblings and I) were fortunate enough to experience the culture of the United States as well as Palestine.

Where did you go to your various schools, and when did you start excelling?

I went to Tommie Barfield Elementary, Marco Island Charter Middle School and Lely High School.

My parents have always pushed my siblings and me to excel in school from the very beginning. My mother practiced the alphabet with me at a young age and, I believe, at the age of three I began reading. My parents and siblings always practiced and studied for school.

What were your standout subjects at high school, and what prompted the academic direction you would take at university?

I enjoyed my social science classes in high school. It was the social science (history, government, law, etc) classes that prompted me to take the direction I did.

In fact, it was my 7th grade social studies teacher who really influenced my drive for social studies. She is one of the main reasons why I decided to go into teaching.

How did you manage to cut some of the years out of high school and move ahead early?

During my freshman year in high school I had decided that I was going to take extra classes over the summer to cut one year of school.

The summer between my freshman and sophomore year the high school presented a new program where students could graduate in 4 years with 24 credits, I believe (it used to be 30 credits) or 3 years with 18 credits.

Because of classes I had taken in middle school as well as classes I was taking online over the summer, I had enough credits to graduate my sophomore year.

When I talked to the school about this, they suggested that I graduate in 3 years but instead of taking classes at the high school I could take classes at Edison College (the school was going to pay for tuition and books).

I decided to graduate in 3 years and at 16 I graduated high school with 1 year of college done. I continued on and graduated at 19.

What were your university majors, and tell us a little bit about your university experiences, particularly from the point of view of being younger than most of the other students.

I majored in secondary education social sciences and a minor in history.

When I was first dual enrolled I was a few months away from turning 16. Just about everyone around me was over 20 and I was a little timid to be around older students.

Since I didn’t have my license yet, my parents were always taking me to and from college (I admit it was a little embarrassing). However, I made some great friends who helped me along the way. I became independent, which was a good thing.

When I started at the university (FGCU) I was very excited. It was much different than Edison, but I enjoyed the small class sizes. The students weren’t that much older and it seemed most respected me (not many knew that I was younger than them). I enjoyed the classes and the challenges I faced (high school did not challenge me enough and that is what I was looking for). I was very focused on finishing school and doing well that graduation was such a relief.

What is your next academic step? After that, where do you plan to work?

I finally made the decision to go on and work on my master’s degree in education. I felt that this was the best move because of my age. I would like to teach around here.

What are some of your hobbies, including music, movies? Do you have other ways of relaxing/having fun?

It has been a long time since I’ve actually relaxed or done any hobbies. I’m a bit of a dork: I enjoy reading on any free time I have. Because I’ve been away from so many of my friends, I jump at any chance to see them. I come from a very close-knit family so I’m always doing something with the family.

What advice would you give to young people who would like to follow your example, academically?

My advice would be to relax but keep focused. I’ve seen many who were capable fall through the cracks because they were never focused. I would also suggest that they find a good balance between school and fun. Go with your dreams and you’re sure to succeed.

What are some of the country’s social/political/moral/international issues you would like to see changed or adapted?

One of the reasons I finished school early and decided to go into education was because I felt that there was something lacking in the school system. As I have mentioned earlier, I am a Palestinian. Whenever anyone (student or peer) asks where I am from and I tell them I’m from Palestine they usually think I am from Pakistan. Whenever I try to begin a conversation on the situation(s) in the Middle East, it is rare that I find someone who knows where the Middle East is, or what the problems are. I would like society to have a better understanding of our world. People are so focused on themselves and materialistic objects that they forget to thank God for what they have and they forget that there are people less fortunate than them.