#MeetUsMonday - Meet ABSN Student Salsabel Karem
Meet ABSN Student Salsabel Karem.
Wife, mother of two, and a YouTube self-taught English speaker whose path to UVA School of Nursing’s ABSN program spans continents, war, motherhood, and extraordinary determination. Originally from Iraq and now living in Louisa, VA, she arrived in Charlottesville just before the global pandemic (at 39 weeks pregnant!) and soon after began teaching herself English while earning straight A’s at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Now thriving in UVA’s Accelerated BSN program, she hopes to one day become a pediatric nurse practitioner. When she finds a rare moment to spare, she loves to cook for her family and spend time with her children.
HER JOURNEY TO THE U.S.
“I’m originally from Iraq. When I was 12 years old, I lived in Mosul during the war. I remember hearing bomb sounds and gun sounds and seeing people dying and blood in the streets. As a child, that was very hard trauma. My family moved to another city called Najaf to escape the war. I had to start a new school and make new friends, and I missed my old school and my friends very much, but I finished high school there.”
“Later I got married, and because there was still war, we moved to Turkey with my husband’s family while waiting for our visa to the United States. I became pregnant and my husband went to the U.S. before me, while I stayed in Turkey with his family for about nine months.”
“When it was finally time for me to come to the U.S., I flew for sixteen hours alone while I was 39 weeks pregnant. I had a lot of pain on the flight that I now realize was probably early labor contractions. About two weeks after I arrived in Charlottesville, I gave birth to my first baby at UVA Health.”
“At that time, I came here with zero English language. When I gave birth, the only English word I knew was ‘thank you.’ I didn’t even know how to respond when someone said, ‘you’re welcome'.”
“COVID started soon after, so I stayed home with my baby and started teaching myself English. I used YouTube and learned simple words like apple, banana, and orange. I became pregnant again five months later so that we could grow our family. Later I started going to the library and reading books to learn more English, but my conversation skills still needed improvement.”
“I remember when I had first come to Charlottesville from Iraq and was walking around UVA with my husband after giving birth. I told my husband, ‘One day I will come to this school.’ And now I’m here.”
Salsabel Karem, ABSN student
PATH TO NURSING
“In 2022, I started taking classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). At first I wanted to improve my language and communication, but then I thought about physical therapy.”
“In the beginning it was difficult because sometimes I couldn’t understand everything the professor was explaining. But I studied a lot at home and I got A’s in all my classes.”
“I finished my associate degree in science at PVCC in 2025. But I remember when I gave birth, I saw how the nurses were taking care of the mothers. I really liked how they helped people and supported them. That’s when I decided I wanted to become a nurse.”
WHY THE ABSN PROGRAM
“A lot of people told me not to do the ABSN program at UVA. They said it’s too hard, especially because I have two kids at home and English is not my first language. They also said the professors at UVA were very strict. But UVA School of Nursing’s admission advisor, Kimberly Dieber, told me, ‘Don’t care what people say. Just care about what you want to do.’”
“I chose the ABSN because it’s a short pathway. I didn’t want to spend three years in another program. I told myself, if I finished my science degree in two years and got good grades, I can do the ABSN, too.”
“So I said, ‘I’m just going to apply and do it!’ And I got in.”
LIFE IN THE ABSN PROGRAM
“In the ABSN program, we are a small group of 27 students, and we are always sharing and helping each other. We are like a family.”
“At the beginning it was stressful, but now I feel good. I finished classes like pathophysiology and pharmacology, which people say are the hardest.”
“I heard before that professors at UVA can be very strict, but the professors here are so kind. They respect my religion, my hijab, and my language. Every time I send an email, they respond and help me. The professors here are the best part of this program. They really care.”
“My advisor, Jeannie Wangler, is also wonderful. She is so kind and always encouraging me. When I started the program I was stressed, and she told me things I could ask my pupils about. Jeannie helped me believe I could do it.”
“At the beginning it was stressful, but now I feel good. I finished classes like pathophysiology and pharmacology, which people say are the hardest. I heard before that professors at UVA can be very strict, but the professors here are so kind. They respect my religion, my hijab, and my language. Every time I send an email, they respond and help me. The professors here are the best part of this program. They really care.”
Salsabel Karem, ABSN student
ON BALANCING HOME AND SCHOOL
“I wake up at four in the morning every day to study before my kids wake up. After class, I go home, pick up my kids, cook dinner, and then open my laptop again to study. Sometimes I cry because I feel like I’m not spending enough time with them. But when I get good grades, I remind myself that I’m doing this for their future.”
“I always tell them, ‘Just wait for me. When I finish nursing school, we will do all these things together!’”
UVA SCHOOL OF NURSING IN A WORD?
“Belonging. When I finished my associate degree, I was happy to graduate. But when I finish the ABSN, I think I will feel very sad. I feel like I made a family here—with my classmates, professors, and advisors.”
“But I know I want to come back. I ask myself, ‘Why stop here?’ After I finish my BSN, I want to apply directly to the BSN to DNP program at UVA and become a pediatric nurse practitioner.”
“I remember when I had first come to Charlottesville from Iraq and was walking around UVA with my husband after giving birth. I told my husband, ‘One day I will come to this school.’ And now I’m here.”
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