Zeinab Badreddine plans a career in cancer research
HFC allowed Zeinab Badreddine to excel academically and also provided her a gateway to a new life.
“My life here in Michigan before attending HFC was very boring because I didn’t know anyone,” said Badreddine, of Dearborn Heights. “While attending HFC, I got to make new friends and engage in the community here.”
Combining interests to study bioengineering
Born in Lebanon, Badreddine, who speaks fluent English and Arabic, is the eldest of four daughters. Her family immigrated to the United States in 2022. Her sister, Zahraa, recently graduated from Crestwood High School in Dearborn Heights, where she was also a dual enrolled student at HFC. This fall, she will attend HFC, following in her older sister’s footsteps.
Badreddine completed high school overseas and also completed coursework at the American University of Beirut. At HFC, Badreddine is majoring in pre-engineering. She plans to graduate from the College in 2025. From there, she will transfer to study bioengineering the University of Michigan-Dearborn through the Learn4ward partnership.
“In general, I love all the subjects I’m studying at HFC: biology, chemistry, math, and physics. I am good at all of them, so I wanted a program that can help me join all these subjects together. I chose to go into bioengineering,” she explained.
A spark for research
At HFC, Badreddine is a member of the Henry Ford II Honors Program and the HFC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). Her Honors Program mentor is HFC Public Health Program Director Dr. Kenetra C. Young.
“HFC made it easy for me as a transfer student who came from a different country to start my education here in the USA. As an immigrant who was not yet financially stable, it was good that HFC provided me the opportunity to get an education with more affordable tuition than other universities around here,” she said. “HFC is where I started my research experience. Through the Honors Program, I got to know more about the world of research.”
She expressed her respect and admiration for the HFC faculty.
“HFC, especially through its professors, has helped me understand myself and what I want to do in the future. It helped me better choose the major I want to pursue,” she said.
“Zeinab is a bright and focused student,” said Young. “I look forward to our meetings as mentor and mentee, so that I can get updates about her classes and career goals. She has great communication skills and is receptive to constructive feedback. I know that Zeinab will be successful during her remaining studies at HFC and beyond.”
Honors experience gave her confidence to pursue bioengineering
After she completes her bachelor's degree in bioengineering, Badreddine plans to attend graduate school. Her career goal is to become a cancer research scientist and professor.
“I am inspired to go into this field because I know many people who are close to my heart who’ve been diagnosed with cancer, one of them my favorite teacher during my high school years,” explained Badreddine. “You might wonder why I chose bioengineering and not medicine. The reason is I attended a webinar sponsored by the Honors Program, which was all about research. One expert mentioned that research labs need students from other fields like engineering. Another expert mentioned that she has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and found her passion in research. I was inspired by that webinar to go into bioengineering.”
HFC biology instructor Dr. Jolie Stepaniak said it was a pleasure having Badreddine in her Cell and Molecular Biology class in the Winter 2024 semester.
"Zeinab is a very engaged student,” said Stepaniak. “She has a strong foundational knowledge of biology and excellent critical thinking skills, which allow her to make insightful connections between concepts. It's apparent that Zeinab has a genuine passion for biology. I know she will go far!"