Colin Powell School
Hebh Jamal
2021 Salutatorian for Colin Powell School
Where are you from? Please share a little of your story.
I come from immigrant Palestinian parents who landed in the Bronx, which is where I have lived my whole life. Before I arrived at City College, I spent a majority of my high school years tackling school segregation and education inequalities. I went to a majority white high school where microaggressions and subtle racism were the norm. It was also during the time Trump got elected as president and it was a turbulent and political time for students across the country. So with other students, I helped organize a major student walkout in 2017 as a response to issues that affected us. I think that period of my life was so crucial to why I wanted to pursue activism and advocacy. I saw how it changed conversations simply when people organized, and organized together.
2. What brought you to City College?
I did not want to go to a school that wasn’t diverse. I think that was one of my main concerns, repeating the isolating experience that I felt in high school. Thankfully, City College is one of the most diverse colleges in the country, and I benefited from being around so many different types of people.
3. What is your passion or purpose behind pursuing what you did at City College?
Palestine was my passion. More generally, tackling issues such as state-sanctioned violence and colonialism. As a Palestinian, it was really in college that I got a more holistic understanding of what it means to be Palestinian in the diaspora. To be told I am a foreigner even though my family did not leave their land on their own accord. It was a goal of mine to combat this violent narrative, a narrative that erases my identity and my people’s history. I was the president of CCNY’s Students for Justice in Palestine, and I think we did exactly what the title of the club entails — we fought for justice.
4. How did City College and the Colin Powell School help you in your career?
I think my career at CCNY helped me become a more rounded person. It taught me to be hyper critical and to never be complacent in what I think I know. Currently I live in Germany, and want to spend the rest of my education pursuing a PhD that expands on the things I did at CCNY.
5. Please tell us about a significant memory or accomplishment from your time at City College.
I am really proud of the Arthur Tiedman Undergraduate History Paper award. I was told by a colleague one time that I was not a good history student, that I did not think about causation of historical time periods in a critical way. Very shortly after, I won this award for a paper about how a lot of the enlightenment was influenced by Islam and Muslims. So yeah, that felt nice.
6. Do you have any advice you could give to current or future students?
Enjoy your time at CCNY. It’s probably one of the best memories you will make.