Zahra Shine endured homelessness, her parent’s divorce and the compounding effects of their mental health issues. Fortunately, Zahra’s mother instilled a love for reading that blossomed into a valuable tool for selfeducation and healing. Fulfilling her dreams of helping others, Zahra is starting her graduate program in psychology at Humboldt State.

Zahra earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and was named a Presidential Scholar at Humboldt State. She also helped at-risk students, battered spouses and the families of the deceased through her volunteer work at elementary and middle schools, a domestic violence shelter and as a hospice grief counselor.

Keenly aware of the burden mental health issues can place upon families, Zahra hopes to become a marriage and family therapist and eventually earn a Ph.D. so she can contribute to the understanding of mental health.