Zinedine Hoque Wins Cancer Survivors Scholarship

The 2021 Chalik & Chalik Cancer Survivors Scholarship has come to a close, and we have selected Zinedine Hoque as this year’s winner. A child of Muslim immigrants, Hoque was diganosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at a young age, spending eight years in and out of hospitals.

“I remember my lack of hair, constant nausea, purple bruises, and the years of schoolwork done on a hospital bed,” she wrote in her winning essay. From makeshift school in hospital, she now studies at Cornell University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree. 

After graduation, Hoque aims to pursue a master’s degree, perform cancer research professionally, and perhaps become a doctor. As she told a representative of Chalik & Chalik in discussions about this scholarship, thankfully, she has all the time in the world to decide.

Zinedine Hoque’s Unique Perspective on Cancer Research

Hoque has already done her fair share of cancer research, joining her childhood oncologist Dr. William Carroll at his lab in NYU Langone Medical Center as part of a high school biology research program. 

Her research has won several awards, including the Semifinalist Award from the Junior Science and Humanities Symposia Program at York College and third place in the NYC Science and Engineering Fair at the City College of New York.

Experiences with research are not the only important influences on Hoque’s personal outlook. In her winning essay, she wrote that her parents’ conjoining of Islamic ideals with Western medicine has had a tremendous impact on her.

“It is important to me to contribute my background as a child of Muslim immigrants to the field of science,” Hoque said to Chalik & Chalik representatives. “There needs to be more representation of different viewpoints and ideals in Western medicine because people from different cultures and religions have many interpretations of healing.”

Chalik & Chalik is proud to award the $1,000 Cancer Survivors Scholarship to Zinedine Hoque, and we applaud her ongoing efforts to contribute to the scientific community.

You can read Zinedine’s winning essay by clicking on this link.