A 21-year-old woman from Florida managed to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree, bought a house, and started a PhD, a feat most of us will not achieve in a lifetime.
Pakeezah Zubairi finished secondary school with 18 months’ worth of university credits, taking after-hours classes and tests that allowed her to skip the first half of her bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
She was able to complete her bachelor’s before her 19th birthday, and then went on to complete her MBA in Human Resources Management at Lynn University before turning 20.
She finished her MBA while working full-time that allowed her to save enough money to buy a house.
“I knew in high school I wanted to be as independent as soon as I could,” Pakeezah said.
“I wanted to get out of my parents as soon as I could so once I had my bachelor’s I moved out and lived in student accommodation while I completed my master’s.”
The senior human resource specialist shared how hard it was to move out, especially from a family with a very religious background.
“They stopped talking to me when I left because they wanted me to be this good little Muslim girl and that just wasn’t for me.”
Pakeezah noted that her pursuit for independence was not done alone, thanks to the support of her boyfriend Steven and some friends.
“He stayed up with me to study and we bought the cheapest food we could which was all pretty awful for our bodies, ready meals and super noodles,” she said. “My friend would drive me from work to school every day.”
By the time Pakeezah finished her master’s degree, the couple have already saved $7,500, the deposit required to secure a mortgage within a year.
“Now I want to keep going, I’m going to study a PhD and get that finished as soon as I can.”