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Fatmah Saleh, a College of Business student, interacts with global corporation leaders as an executive board member for 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s chapter of the Financial Management Association. She has completed internships with automotive suppliers like Yazaki North America and Stellantis. And, immediately after her Spring 2025 graduation, she’ll start a position as an international accounting analyst with Stellantis.

Saleh also has a SAP business platform certification, a good GPA and is a familiar face among business students. While talking with Reporter in the Renick University Center recently, students waved to her as they walked by. Saleh's upbeat demeanor is a good complement to her dedication to the field of business — her email signature even has a quote from entrepreneur Mark Cuban. It reads, “It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. You only have to be right once.”

Saleh — who first saw Cuban on the show “Shark Tank” — explains that the quote resonates with her. Behind the scenes everyone struggles, but success is when someone keeps trying, perseveres and eventually gets it right. People wouldn’t know it when meeting her, but Saleh has experienced many challenges in her 23 years.

Her father passed away when she was six. She’s worked full time since her high school graduation to help support her mom, who has a long-term illness. And Saleh is her mom’s caregiver. “Family means everything to me. I wanted to go to college, but wasn’t even sure I should because I wanted to be there for her. My mom and my older brother encouraged me to enroll. That was very important to my mom,” says Saleh, noting that her brother — who is 18 years older — secured a home as a young adult and moved the family into it after their dad passed away. “Her doctor wanted her to have surgery this month, but she told him that it needed to wait until after my graduation. She scheduled her surgery to happen four days after I graduate. That’s how important that day is to her.”

On top of these challenges, she’s gone through life with a stutter in her speech. Talking with Saleh, it isn’t noticeable. But growing up with a speech disorder has impacted her. “It’s something I’ve battled with for as long as I can remember. If I’m being honest, it’s the one thing that’s made me question my potential the most. Every interview, every meeting, every classroom presentation, I used to wonder: ‘What if I mess up? What if they don’t take me seriously because of the way I speak?’ That fear was real,” Saleh says. “But it never stopped me.”

Acknowledging it as a part of her identity, Saleh looked at ways she could minimize her stutter’s negative effect. She joined the College of Business’ student organization FMA, where she often gives Introductions at events or meetings. Realizing that her stutter is more prominent when she is nervous, she builds in time to adequately prepare for presentations. She attends 51��Ƶ-Dearborn career fairs regularly to gain confidence when interacting with potential employers. And she’s honest about her challenges when she has interview opportunities.

When she had an interview with Yazaki for a student analyst position — a role she heard about at a 51��Ƶ-Dearborn career fair — Saleh was taking a full-time course load while working at an accounting office. She scheduled the Zoom interview between work and class time. “I had to do the interview in my car because of my schedule. I was worried that I wouldn’t get the position because I was obviously in my car. I was honest when the interviewer asked about it,” says Saleh, who also mentioned her stutter near the beginning of the interview. “Instead of it being seen as a negative, they felt it showed them that I was very determined because I'm not going to allow anything to stop me. I got the job.”

That year-long experience in the automotive supplier field led to an internship at Stellantis as a student analyst. The Stellantis role was especially important to Saleh because her father once worked for the corporation as a production employee. “I remember going with my dad to work and how much I liked being there with him,” she says. “It is a memory that stayed with me. Now I work for the same company. To me, it is a sign that God is looking out for me and my dad is too.” 

She says the past year with Stellantis also reminded her that her challenges will not detour her. “It was more than just a professional opportunity. It was personal. I walked into a global company with a lot of self-doubt, but what I found was support, encouragement and proof that I belonged. I wasn’t just ‘the girl with the speech issue.’ I was a valuable part of a team,” she says. “I contributed. I grew. I found my confidence.”

She credits 51��Ƶ-Dearborn staff and faculty with moving her toward her goals too. A first-generation college student, Saleh, says COB Advisor Lori Ormsby guided her through finding the right classes that fit with her busy work and home life. She says COB faculty have also been supportive of her pursuing the Certified Public Accountant designation after graduation and have provided her with study resources.

Feeling a strong level of support in her life, she says she pays it forward and provides the same for her friends and classmates. She listens to their concerns, helps tailor their resumes and links peers to opportunities. Through her time in FMA, she’s made strong connections at Ford Motor Company, General Motors and more. “I learn about job opportunities. If I know someone who would be a good fit, I’ll help connect them. For example, I recently helped someone land a supply chain rotational program position at Ford,” she says.

Once again quoting Mark Cuban, “sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is.” Approaching graduation, Saleh has put in her sweat equity — and it’s paid off dividends. “I have good friends. I have a life where I have a job at a company I care about. And I’ll be able to work hybrid, so I’ll have the opportunity to be home with my mom, too,” she says. “Others believed in me, believed I could do it even with everything happening in my life. I am thankful for them. I now believe in myself.”

Saleh is dedicating her graduation to her mother, brother and family. She says they always showed up for her and their selfless actions taught her a valuable life lesson about being present. Her advice to those who are struggling? Keep showing up.

“I’ve learned that success isn’t always loud. It’s not always obvious,” Saleh says. “Sometimes, success is quiet resilience. It’s choosing to speak up when it’s hard. It’s pushing past fear when no one sees the battle you’re fighting. It’s choosing growth over perfection. When I graduate this month, that’s a lesson I will be taking with me. You don’t need perfect grades or perfect speech to build a powerful future. You just need to keep showing up.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury