English Major Discovers 'Deeper Passion' for Literature at York College

Congratulations to Mahira Rahman, an award-winning member of the Class of 2025, who plans to become a professor, following in the footsteps of the mentors who inspired her at York.

A graduate of Monsignor Scanlan High School in the Bronx, Rahman shared that while her interest in literature began in high school, it was at York College where her passion truly took root as an English major.

“I took quite a few honors and AP classes in high school, but for most of that time, I felt very demotivated,” she said. “It wasn’t until senior year that I began to develop a genuine interest in literature and even received an English honors award. However, it was really in college that I realized how deep my passion for literature ran. That’s also when I started working harder, and I even received a few awards.”

Though she humbly notes that she has “maintained a respectable GPA,” Rahman has consistently earned Dean’s List recognition “every semester that I have attended here.” In 2024, she received both the Nash/Sporn Award -- an English Department honor named in memory of two former non-faculty members -- and the General Excellence in English Studies Award, the department’s highest graduation honor.

“York College has always been a community that sees potential in its students,” Rahman said. “When I was afraid I wouldn’t get accepted anywhere, York took me in, and that’s when I started becoming hopeful. And here I am now.”

And while York has played the pivotal role in shaping her academic journey, Rahman also credits her mother, Makshuda Islam, as the original source of inspiration. “She’s actually the reason I’m pursuing higher education,” Rahman explained. “She has always supported me in both my academic and personal life. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything without her.”

Looking ahead, Rahman is preparing to continue her academic journey in graduate school. “My immediate plan after graduation is to pursue a master’s degree in English,” she said. “I’m currently applying to a variety of programs to expand my experience and better prepare for PhD studies.”

Professor Linda Grasso, who introduced the Communications Office to Rahman, expressed confidence in her student’s future.

“Mahira Rahman is a gifted reader of literature, an excellent writer, and a capacious thinker,” said Dr. Grasso. “After a year-long study of classic U.S. women’s autobiographies in an honors sequence, she focused her final project on how white, Black, immigrant, and Native-born women authors represent their mothers. She developed a beautifully conceptualized essay identifying three, sometimes overlapping, categories: the enforcing mother; the survival mother; and the inspiring, story-telling mother. There is no doubt Mahira will flourish in graduate school and, one day, write books and teach students of her own. Working with her has been a joy.”