This post was authored by Amina Qazi, DO, FACC, governor of the ACC Maine Chapter.

I have spent the bulk of my life in Maine – attending junior high, high school, college and medical school – and it is the only place in the world where I truly feel at home. However, I was born in a place that is about as far away from Maine as can be – in more ways than one. I was born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  My parents ended up in Maine when I was 11 years old. My father had $1,500 in his pocket to feed, shelter and clothe a young family, with nothing else to his name. I look back on those years with complete awe and I still can’t fathom how incredibly hard my parents worked to build a life here in America. My father was a graduate student who worked two jobs and volunteered as a math tutor at an afterschool program.  Meanwhile, my mother clocked in hundreds of overtime hours.

At times, I think about my current station in life and wonder where I would have been today had my parents not left Afghanistan.  As a woman, I am not sure I would have even been alive, let alone able to acquire an education. I revel in every moment that I get to be an educated woman and I am proud to be a cardiologist. Everything I do is an ode to my parents and their tremendous sacrifice. I also cherish every moment I have spent in Maine for had I not been here, my story would not be possible.

I am so grateful have the opportunity to represent the ACC as the governor of the Maine Chapter. During the 2013 Convocation when I assumed the role, I felt so very proud not only because I was there representing some incredible cardiologists in the state of Maine, I was proud to be a member of the Board of Governors (BOG).  As I stood in the room just prior to the Convocation ceremony amongst the BOG and the Board of Trustees, I was truly star struck.  I could not believe that I had the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the most elite cardiologists in the world. I am so privileged to be a member of the ACC, a member of the BOG, an advocate for the ACC, a representative for Maine, and most of all – I am proud to be a cardiologist.

As an early career professional, this has been an incredible learning experience for me thus far and I have big plans for the remainder of my term. While Maine is a far cry from where I came from, it is the only place that makes me feel home – and I look forward to giving back to the state and its patients the same love and service it has given to me.

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