When Nesreen Shahrour thinks back on the inspiration for her medical journey, a specific conversation comes to mind.

Her uncle, who has Multiple Sclerosis, said to Shahrour, “I will not be able to walk soon, and that means my life will be over.”

He worried his community would no longer accept him due to the stigmatization of his disabilities.

Shahrour’s relationship with her uncle, as well as her background, inspire her to advocate for people with disabilities.

“My background has always been inextricably part of my community service efforts,” says Shahrour, a 2019 Most Valuable Student scholar and 2023 Gunther and Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship recipient.

“As a first-generation Arab and Muslim immigrant, I relate to how it feels to be misunderstood and to face adversity. This feeling is what inspires me to increase awareness and understanding of other minority groups. An underserved group often missing from diversity and inclusion efforts, despite being the largest minority group, is people with disabilities.”

While attending Georgetown University, Shahrour noticed that students with disabilities felt unwelcomed. The university lacked accessible structures, had rigid academic and extracurricular demands, and had become more competitive than ever before.

As Shahrour thought back on her uncle’s fear of being ostracized, she was determined to make a change.

Shahrour developed a campaign for the Disability Cultural Center, a place for Georgetown students with disabilities to have a visible community, free of the stress and burden of advocacy they often feel. By gaining the support of over 1,200 students, faculty, alumni, staff, and organizations, Shahrour was able to make her vision a reality.

However, Shahrour’s dreams didn’t stop there.

“The injustices I have seen as a Syrian motivate me to fight for the justice I believe everyone deserves,” says Shahrour. “Being an Elks scholar has served as a recognition of my service efforts, as well as a foundation to do more to make a difference.”

As Shahrour continues her education at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where she will specialize in internal medicine, she takes comfort in knowing her Elks family is there for her.

"Joining the community of Elks scholars gave me a new home where I can learn from and grow with people who share the same vision for justice and service that I do,” says Shahrour. “Being an Elks scholar means for me a second family throughout all the events and celebrations we have attended together, allowing me to recharge and focus my energy on pursuing my passions.”

By receiving the Weigel Scholarship, Shahrour will continue to make her dreams of advocacy come true.

“Being an Elks scholar, and receiving the Weigel Medical School Scholarship, is a vindication that my background is not unique in a vacuum,” says Shahrour, “but rather in the ways I have and will continue to channel it to create a valuable contribution to medicine by uplifting and empowering the other diverse students that make up our community.”