‘As a Muslim from Nigeria, I want to explore how religion and culture play a role in women’s experiences of domestic violence.’.

Breakfast: Eggs and oats or eggs and bread 

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria 

Extracurriculars: Watch movies and read books

Bilqis Williams is a second-year MPH student from Nigeria. We sat down with her to learn more about her experience as an international student and her interest in bringing awareness to intimate partner violence (IPV).

What led you to become interested in public health?

I pursued a career in public health instead of being a surgeon or a clinical doctor because I wanted to help more people. When I worked in a clinical setting, I would see one hundred patients a day and they would all leave my office happy only to return because another social determinant of their health was negatively impacting them. From our conversations in the clinic, I learned that there were more people with similar problems or worse in the community. Being a public health professional allows me to reach people where they are while also helping to address the larger systemic obstacles that could affect their health outcomes.

Why did you choose BUSPH?

One of the reasons I chose to come to BUSPH was its commitment to diversity and inclusion. It was also because of an encounter that I had with Dean Lisa Sullivan at the Accepted Students Day event. We were having a conversation and I shared my doubt about winning the raffle for the BU swag and she continued to reinforce the belief that I could do it, that I could win, even as I continued to doubt myself with something so simple like winning extra BU swag. I’ve always thrived in supportive environments. So at that moment, all I needed was support and that’s what I received from her. And I thought, “What would be better than having faculty that’s supportive of your dreams and willing to help you to transcend your self-doubt?” There was no changing my mind after that encounter.

What does being an international student mean to you? How has your community in Lagos responded to your moving abroad?

For me, being an international student is like being a fly on the wall. There’s a lot that different races go through in America, but as an international student, I am able to understand that without directly experiencing it to the full extent. I get to experience America without the burden of being an American, especially a Black American. And when I say “burden”, I’m referring to the racial struggles and limited representation that influence the health and social outcomes of Black Americans.

Being an international student also means that I get to travel outside of my comfort zone and experience the world. Before leaving Nigeria, my entire community celebrated me coming to America and especially BUSPH. I’m a first-generation graduate student and medical doctor, but many of my relatives understand the gravity of being in this environment. I feel like my whole community celebrated this and were truly excited.  And I know that they’re looking forward to me using my experiences abroad to make a better life for us at home. Actually, my long-term goal is to run for political office in Nigeria―maybe even Vice President. I’m hoping to use public health as the tool for successful governance and to ensure a sustainable system where there is access to reliable electricity, good roads and infrastructure, and more.

What social justice issues are you passionate about and how are you putting that passion into action?

I am passionate about housing access. Currently, I am a recipient of the Activist Bucks grant and my project is focused on people experiencing homelessness. When I started my project, a lot of people shared their personal and professional experiences with homelessness. And that’s why I wanted to change unfavorable narratives and highlight what people experiencing homelessness could offer. So, I designed a project that would help people experiencing homelessness upgrade their skills and then find employment with local businesses in the area. From there, they would be able to use their skills to support community-building projects.

I’m also passionate about domestic violence. As a Muslim from Nigeria, I want to explore how religion and culture play a role in women’s experiences of domestic violence. Being an international student in the U.S. opened my eyes to things that I would otherwise not recognize as domestic violence. Back home, I had relatives who shared their stories of abuse with me and I was able to help them to navigate it by showing them which health clinics offered things like family planning. But when it comes to domestic violence, there are certain things in my culture that people think are acceptable or even expected of your partner. It’s like you’re supposed to keep quiet and tolerate certain behaviors too often, and sometimes that silence can lead to death. During my own experience with domestic violence, I didn’t have the tools to understand the influence of my culture and religion. But once I established a support system,  I was able to use the training and knowledge I gained at BUSPH to liberate myself. Even as an international student, resources were also available to me, which I didn’t anticipate. I’m getting free therapy from SARP and it’s helping me to boost my confidence and process my experience. And I can now create a better life for my child and a better future for others. I also know that a lot of women, especially from my community, will be looking to me and whatever decisions I make now, will impact them.

In what ways has BUSPH highlighted your strengths and those of other international students?

My greatest quality is managing relationships with compassion. I will go out of my way to help others because it gives me joy and I find that helping others actually helps me. I’ve been able to showcase this quality at BUSPH through my roles as Student Representative on the Governing Council and a Graduate Student Life Administrator. Both roles have allowed me to build supportive relationships with students. I think the qualities of other international students are being highlighted when they are asked to share their experiences in class. And being in class with people from around the world, listening to their experiences, and learning how they perceive things can be very enlightening for all students. We must continue to recognize that having international students provides a bidirectional avenue for knowledge and growth inside and outside the classroom.

― Tierra Holmes