Salma Abdel-Raheem grew up in rural Egypt before moving to Washington, D.C., with her family. Soon after their arrival, the sociopolitical climate surrounding the events of September 11, 2001 threatened the stability of her household, and as a result, Salma’s mother was left with the responsibility of raising three children on her own. Inspired by her mother’s determination, Salma excelled academically and graduated with honors from the College of William & Mary with a bachelor of science in biology.

Salma is currently pursuing a graduate degree in geographic information science at San Francisco State University, where she serves as a graduate teaching assistant in environmental science and a student assistant in the Hines Lab for Marine and Coastal Biogeography.

Upon completing her graduate program, Salma plans to work as a marine geospatial scientist in the nonprofit sector serving vulnerable coastal communities.