How I went from feeling dejected because of my stutter to getting confidence and taking on medical school.

This is the first time for me sharing something with all of you and I’m both humbled and honoured to share a great part of my story, a story of a journey I’m proud I have taken, and I hope it inspires more people to get through the difficulties, because along the way you gain many things, and every step you take makes up a part of who you are. Here is my journey.

It all started when I was in high school. I discovered my passion for making speeches.  My stutter, however, made me avoid situations like these or left me dejected when I couldn’t perform. Later, I discovered that Medical School was no piece of cake either. I only started to feel relieved when I joined the McGuire Programme™ in the MENA region, which I attended in July 2016. The programme allowed me to finally take part in what I actually enjoy with more ease. It provided me with every speaking opportunity, both in practice and performance. I’ve delivered class presentations, participated in discussions, delivered speeches to strangers in the street, and conversations with my patients and medical colleagues. I attempted the thing I always wanted to do most but never had the courage to do until recently, and that is delivering my medical school batch graduation speech.

While speaking on behalf of my entire class, to a large crowd of people I have felt the most confident and felt so alive like I could take over the world as my stage!

The support and confidence I gained allowed me to take a huge step in my career and in my life generally. I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to do my internship in Egypt, with its very different culture than that I was accustomed to. It was hard at first, adjusting in an unfamiliar environment. Everything was different. With the implication of COVID-19 leading to the under-staffing of the hospital, as a stutterer, I had to work more than twice as hard to keep up with the hassle. I indefinitely experienced a lot of lows as I was always on my feet. The situation was not the best, or most comfortable, but with the support of my fellow McGuire members, I was reminded with the power of assertiveness. With that, I took the opportunity to be one of the many frontline workers to help fight this pandemic.

I used my two most powerful weapons, my brain and my voice.

Adwaa Khalil
MENA Region