Revolutionary Tales: Service-Minded First-Year Student Sofia Hashemi Begins Her GW Journey

September 17, 2025

Authored by:

Nick Erickson, Video by Cara Taylor

It seemed peculiar to Sofia Hashemi that she was summoned for an 8:30 a.m. meeting on an otherwise normal Thursday morning last March. That time was right in the middle of Hashemi's English class at Washington International High School (WIS). And she never missed class.

But she'd soon realize this was no ordinary school day.

Hashemi entered a small room just across the school's front door and would exit it with her life changed. Banners, balloons, cameras, leadership team members and the mascot-of course-from the George Washington University greeted her with the greatest of news. She had earned the opportunity to attend GW as a Stephen Joel Trachtenberg scholar, awarded to a select few D.C. high school students that covers tuition, room, board, books and fees.

Also there that glorious spring morning? Her mother, Morvarid Yousefi, B.A. '02, M.D. '07, who launched her career as a doctor at the university nearly a quarter century earlier. It meant the world to Hashemi.

"That night, I couldn't sleep. It felt unreal," Hashemi said. "I kept thinking, 'Wow, it happened. I got it.' And now, when things get hard, I remind myself that all the work I've done is recognized. It motivates me to keep going."

For one moment, Hashemi appropriately shone in the spotlight. Because normally, she's too focused on helping others.

"She is so giving and so generous of her time and talents," said Joanna Tudge, co-director of university counseling at WIS. "Everyone is going to benefit from that."

The GW community is next up on that list of recipients.

Setting up for success

Hashemi remembers when she was about 5 years old hearing her grandparents lament the perils of aging, namely back and knee pain. That profoundly bothered her.

"I hated hearing anyone was in pain," she recalled. "I wanted to help, even though I couldn't really do anything yet." At that age, the best she could do was wear a white coat and scrubs for Halloween-which she did.

That quest to help and curiosity to quell injuries and sickness turned into a passion, especially as she started to grasp what her mother, a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist in the capital region, did for a living. Hashemi would become fascinated by the medical topics talked about at the dinner table and realized there was a genuine interest there.

When she began doing service work as early as elementary school to help the homeless population of her native Washington, D.C., Hashemi's path became clearer. As she got further into high school, Hashemi sought to pursue a career that advanced medicine while fostering inclusive healthcare solutions, striving to make a tangible impact in both patient care and medical education.

GW first-year student Sofia Hashemi speaks four languages-English, Farsi, Italian and Spanish-and believes having the ability to communicate with a diverse group of people is vital in the medical industry, a career path she is preparing for through the B.A./M.D. program at the university. (Cara Taylor/GW Today)

And she wanted to do all of that in her hometown, where she is a fiercely proud resident who wants to contribute to the public health and medicine solutions that will shape the District's future.

For the next seven years, she will be doing just that at her mother's alma mater. Not only was she accepted into the SJT scholarship cohort but also the prestigious dual B.A./M.D. program, a joint endeavor of Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences for students training to be physicians who want to accomplish that goal in a shorter amount of time than a traditional program of study usually requires.

That means Hashemi will complete her undergraduate degree in biology and move directly into medical school at GW.

"[My mom] always told me to stay close to home and go to GW and that it will set me up for success," Hashemi said. "At first, as a teenager, I wanted to explore other options, but in the end I listened. Seeing her succeed here and hearing how the community and support helped her through medical school and residency inspired me."

Yousefi couldn't be happier that her daughter is writing her own story at a place that is a significant chapter of hers.

"It's like a beginning and an end," Yousefi said while helping move Hashemi into her room at Thurston Hall on a muggy mid-August morning. "I'm just so happy. I'm looking forward to seeing her evolve throughout the year and to see her acclimate to her space and work environment."

Yousefi must be thrilled by the early reports. Through the first few weeks of the fall semester, Hashemi has met a lot of people, gotten to work on her studies, explored the areas and eateries around Foggy Bottom and found new running routes, a goldmine for a marathoner like herself. Her floor in Thurston Hall-the setting for friendships and memories already forged-might be her new favorite place in D.C.

"I just love it here already," Hashemi said.

While she's living in the moment, she never forgets her why.

All roads lead to service

When she was in 10th grade, Hashemi chose to do a service project on medical disparities in D.C., specifically mapping healthcare centers across the city. For her, it was startling to see the differences in access among different parts of D.C. and got her thinking about who it affects-and why. She could sense a link between that access or lack thereof and homelessness, an issue she was already versed in through previous service opportunities.

From there, she started volunteering more. She and her younger sister began serving at a homeless center in Georgetown, work she intends to continue once she's settled in a bit more at GW. At first, Hashemi would start with tasks such as getting people coffee or socks, helping them make appointments to shower, doing their laundry or giving directions to places they needed to go.

Eventually, she expanded her service to provide mental health support. She ordered art supplies for various art projects, one of which grew into creating a mural.

"It became an incentive for people to keep coming back to a safe space they could look forward to," Hashemi said. "That was really special."

She would also go with some of the people in the shelter to hospitals to help make appointments. Hashemi utilized the four languages she knows-Farsi, English, Spanish and Italian-to build trust and communicate with a wide variety of people. She thinks that communication link is vital in medicine, especially for underserved communities.

"Being able to have that connection in another language is so cool to me," said Hashemi, who was partly drawn to GW due to the diversity of its community, a big reason why she loves D.C. in general.

"I could translate, whether it's helping homeless patients or working at the front desk in a medical office. Spanish is mainly the language people have problems with, and if I'm there and can translate for them, everything becomes easier. It's easier for the physician, and it's easier for the patient to receive and understand the care they're getting."

Hashemi is still thinking about exactly what kind of medicine she'd like to pursue. She loves orthopedics based on previous research she's conducted. She finds her mother's specialty, physiatry, interesting. Surgery fascinates her, although she's aware of the demanding lifestyle that comes with it. She's beginning to take an interest in dermatology.

No matter what she chooses, helping others will be at the forefront of what she does. And for nearly the next decade, she'll build that foundation at GW while staying in the city she's ferociously proud of and forever committed to serving.