Youth ambassador and Promise scholar uses poetry to cope with childhood adversity
Youth ambassador and Promise scholar uses poetry to cope with childhood adversity
Feb. 14, 2020
Forced to deal with unexpected adversity as a teenager, first-year Community College
of Rhode Island student Halima Ibrahim found an outlet through poetry, using her words
to express what she didn’t always have the strength to say out loud.
Now the 17-year-old East Greenwich resident and Rhode Island Promise scholar is teaching
others the power of the written word as the state’s new Youth Poetry Ambassador.
Appointed through the Rhode Island Center for the Book’s Youth Poetry Initiative,
Ibrahim is only the third such ambassador in the state’s history, tasked with helping
others who’ve walked in her shoes become more comfortable with themselves and their
voices through poetry.
The concept is familiar to Ibrahim, whose bouts with Lyme disease and chronic inflammatory
demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) from high school through now elicit a range of
emotions she still sometimes struggles to process. She began writing in eighth grade
and hasn’t stopped yet. As a Muslim who lived in her father’s homeland of Egypt during
the Arab Spring protests, poetry has also fueled Ibrahim’s passion for activism. Her
work covers a variety of topics from illness and gun violence to race and Islamophobia.
“Poetry is therapy, but it’s also education,” Ibrahim said. “It keeps my brain working
and allows me to get my emotions out.”
Ibrahim’s winding journey has led her to CCRI, where she is currently enrolled as
a Promise scholar studying Fine Arts with the ultimate dream of earning her PhD in
Art History.
In addition to her role as the state’s Youth Poetry Ambassador, she is also active
within the March for our Lives Rhode Island movement as one of its founding members,
the RI Womxn’s Action Initiative – formerly the RI Chapter of the Women's March on
Washington – and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence. Poetry is the backbone
of her activism; in 2018, she performed her poem, “Wake Up,” in front of a crowd of
more than 7,000 at the March for Our Lives rally at the State House. Since then, she
has become a respected voice among youth activists within the community, sharing profound,
thought-provoking poems at various rallies.
Having experienced racism – and even gun violence – first-hand, Ibrahim’s words reflect
her life experiences, and her passion for poetry, coupled with her ability to relate
to young teenagers, made her a logical choice to become the state’s youth ambassador.
“With poetry, I’ve been able to make people listen to things that people don’t necessarily
want to listen to,” Ibrahim said. “Teens have ideas and topics they’re not always
comfortable talking about because they don’t think they’re going to be listened to.
They don’t think their voice is important enough. Poetry is a good way to get people
to listen and also help them develop their voices to gain more confidence.
“My biggest goal is to make sure young teenagers know their voices.”
Ibrahim’s transition from a shy, withdrawn teenager to an outspoken youth advocate
began within the confines of her home while struggling with an illness that eventually
forced her to withdraw from high school.
The symptoms began in middle school when she had trouble concentrating on assignments
and moving her legs in class. Her parents tried homeschooling, but her conditions
worsened, often leaving her bedridden for days – sometimes months – at a time. Adverse
effects from her medication, primarily spinal fluid buildup, further sidetracked her
education. Forced to use crutches for long stretches at a time, Ibrahim kept herself
sharp by reading books and writing poetry. When her symptoms finally subsided, albeit
temporarily, in early 2019, she decided to focus on completing her GED with the intention
of enrolling at CCRI as a Promise scholar.
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she said.
Ibrahim is now living her dream of attending college, which would not have been possible
without Rhode Island Promise. Three days after completing her final GED exam, Ibrahim
began her first semester at CCRI. With help from the college’s Disability Services
for Students (DSS) office, she missed only three days in the fall due and finished
with a 3.94 GPA. Weekly infusions of IVIG, or immunoglobulins, through a port-a-cath
help heal her nervous system and allow her to focus in the classroom.
She hopes others will have the same opportunity to attend college and continue their
education through the Promise scholarship.
“It needs to become a more widely-accepted option,” Ibrahim said. “I don’t like to
think about ‘What Ifs,’ but I’m thankful for Rhode Island Promise. This was meant
to be. I still wake up some days unable to walk, and I still have crutches, but my
professors are understanding and Disability Services has been wonderful. I’m receiving
a quality education at CCRI and it should be a viable option for everyone.”
On February 24, 2025, the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) recognized CCRI alumni Francine Jackson’s contributions to astronomy education and outreach by naming an asteroid in her honor.The designation was announced in WGSBN Bulletin 5, No. 3, under new names of Minor Planets.
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When an opportunity presented itself, Max Hayden took it and ran with it. Hayden initially focused on behind-the-scenes work for CCRI’s theater program. But after accepting and thriving in the lead role for the school’s Yellowman production in 2023, Hayden became a fixture of the school’s theater program over the last two years.
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If you love art or science, and especially if you love both, you’ll want to visit CCRI’s Lincoln Campus this month. Throughout the spring, CCRI Art & Design students collaborated with CCRI STEM professors and students to create original, science-inspired art projects. Funded by a $15,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR initiative, this collaboration highlights creative potential that emerges when these two disciplines meet.
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The Community College of Rhode Island Players’ 2025 Summer Rep will wrap up later this month. The annual theater season concludes with CCRI Players’ adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Richard III”, which will be directed by Jonathan Pitts-Wiley. The first show is scheduled for August 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with additional showings set for August 22, 23, and 24.
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is proud to announce the launch of a new Mammography Certificate Program beginning in Fall 2025. Developed in response to growing demand across Rhode Island and Massachusetts for certified mammography technologists, the program offers registered radiographers the opportunity to gain specialized training in breast imaging and prepare for careers in this high-need area of healthcare.
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The Community College of Rhode Island Players’ 2025 Summer Rep is just around the corner. The annual theater season begins Thursday, July 31 with CCRI Players’ adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors”, which will be directed by Karen Carpenter and run through Sunday, Aug. 3. The performance, rehearsals for which began this week, is the first of a two-part series that will conclude with a four-day run of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” premiering Wednesday, Aug. 20.
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The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) proudly announces the hiring of Chef Kenneth Watt, CEC, MBA, as Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts. Chef Watt will lead the college’s all-new Culinary Arts program, which is unique to CCRI’s Newport County Campus.
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WARWICK, R.I. -- The Community College of Rhode Island’s Cybersecurity Club is riding high after succeeding on a national scale during the spring. Thanks to a strong showing at the National Cyber League (NCL) spring competition, CCRI placed 27th nationally out of 510 colleges and universities in the final Cyber Power Rankings for the spring season. The performance was commended by David Ziechick, commissioner of the NCL, which has students perform real-world cybersecurity tasks that translate to the workforce.
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Johnny Villella needs to clear more space in his trophy case. Villella, a CCRI alum, won an Emmy at the 2025 New England Emmy Awards in the category of News Feature: Serious Feature (Multiple Reports). The award is one of many for Villella, who’s enjoyed a long, decorated career at WPRI-TV (Channel 12 in Rhode Island).
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June 16, 2025
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is pleased to announce that it has joined the network of Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility.
On February 24, 2025, the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) recognized CCRI alumni Francine Jackson’s contributions to astronomy education and outreach by naming an asteroid in her honor.The designation was announced in WGSBN Bulletin 5, No. 3, under new names of Minor Planets.
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June 11, 2025
When an opportunity presented itself, Max Hayden took it and ran with it. Hayden initially focused on behind-the-scenes work for CCRI’s theater program. But after accepting and thriving in the lead role for the school’s Yellowman production in 2023, Hayden became a fixture of the school’s theater program over the last two years.
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June 04, 2025
If you love art or science, and especially if you love both, you’ll want to visit CCRI’s Lincoln Campus this month. Throughout the spring, CCRI Art & Design students collaborated with CCRI STEM professors and students to create original, science-inspired art projects. Funded by a $15,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR initiative, this collaboration highlights creative potential that emerges when these two disciplines meet.
Feb. 14, 2020
