Class of Spring 2025 graduate Jerees Afnan has sections of the Constitution memorized, watches opening legal arguments on YouTube and uses the Socratic method when having complex discussions.
People who know Afnan understand how focused he is on his career goal to be a lawyer. But it’s not for status or job title. The political science and Arabic studies double major wants to help people who need an advocate.
“One of my proudest moments was helping my mom study to get her citizenship. Those tests are challenging. My mom’s English is good and she worked very hard to earn her citizenship. I cannot put into words how happy I was for our family,” says Afnan, who has family roots in Jordan, but was born in the U.S. His father, who passed away in 2018, was an American citizen. “But I often think of people who also work hard, but may not be as fortunate as we are.”
Afnan — who was born in Florida, but lived in Jordan for much of his childhood until moving to Michigan in 2017 — knows what it is like to experience cultural changes. Afnan says the kindness and support of others is what helped his family with the transitions. For example, ACCESS in Dearborn was instrumental in helping his family get reestablished in the U.S.
“We are all human and we are all looking to belong. As much as we think we can get ahead on our own, we can’t. We are social creatures that need support networks. We all need someone to care,” Afnan says. “Just having someone in your corner makes all the difference.”
To be that person for someone else, Afnan has taken additional steps. He’s taken four years of Spanish classes and perfected his Arabic by earning his Arabic translation certificate while at 51Ƶ-Dearborn. Afnan puts it to good use at his certified pharmacy technician job at Kroger. “I’ve been in situations where I’ve seen how hard it is for someone to communicate when they don’t know how to navigate a language. It’s a joy to be able to help,” he says. “At a pharmacy, people can feel vulnerable since it is health related. Being able to talk to people in their native language helps me better explain things like the complexities about insurance or how to take the prescribed medication.”
To understand different Arabic dialects, Afnan — who grew up with Jordanian Arabic in his home — is working for the National Arab American Museum as a document translator under the guidance of Center for Arab American Studies Director Wessam Elmeligi. Afnan’s project focuses on the Palestinian village of Jimzu. “I’m translating handwritten accounts about the location of the city, its importance and its history. It’s interesting because it has not changed much since the era of the Canaanites. So it existed through the Romans, through the Philistines, through the Islamic Age, etc.,” he says. “It’s a privilege to read these documents and translate them.”
Afnan, a first-generation college student, uses what he’s learned through his college journey to help other Dearborn Wolverines succeed too. Afnan is a part of the Wolverine Mentor Collective, a mentor-mentee program that helps students get familiar with university resources to advance their individual goals at 51Ƶ-Dearborn and beyond. And since Afnan started at Schoolcraft Community College to ease into college life after high school, he speaks with students and staff at events like the 51Ƶ-Dearborn-hosted Community College Counselors Luncheon to discuss his college transfer experience. “I was working full time to pay for school, so I wanted to learn how to balance school with that before going to a four-year university. I always wanted to go to Michigan,” he says. “My Schoolcraft College counselor let me know that there was a political science program here. And when I came to campus, there was such a feeling of belonging. I want other people who are students or thinking about coming here to know what a great place this is."
He says his 51Ƶ-Dearborn education provided him with more than a sense of home. Afnan, who plans to take the LSAT in August, says Associate Professor of Political Science Michael Rosano also helped prepare him for law school. “The professors at 51Ƶ-Dearborn have many years of experience and are still connected with current events and are very engaging in class,” Afnan says. “Professor Rosano has us discuss readings on the formation of American political thought using the Socratic method, so we have this push-and-pull debate that is open to differing points of view as long as we can back it up — just like in law school.”
With graduation on the horizon, Afnan says he’s learned a lot and he’s passing it on to the next generation in his family. His younger cousins are following in his footsteps and are pursuing college — one is looking to attend 51Ƶ-Dearborn next fall.
His cousins, aunt, uncle and mom will be at his April 26 graduation. These are the people who have been in his corner — guiding him through international moves, college transitions, juggling a 25-credit hours course load with full time work, and more. And they will cheer him on through his chosen path to law school.
“I am going to be able to go out and help others because of the help that was given to me. I would not be here today without 51Ƶ-Dearborn giving me a place of belonging, a place to learn, a place to grow. I cannot thank my professors enough, it has truly been a privilege to be in each of their classes,” he says. “I also want to thank my family and especially my mom. Our lives may not have been the easiest, but this path has shown me how I could make a difference in this world and her love and guidance has given me the opportunity to do it.”
Story by Sarah Tuxbury
