A Woman of Determination
Amid a sea of students graduating from Chattanooga State Community College this spring, Randa Iteim received special recognition, and for good reason. Randa was graduating from Chattanooga State’s pharmacy technician program, but that was far from her only accomplishment.
Randa, who is now 38, withstood terrible fear and threats of violence in her native Sudan. She, her husband, and their three children left Sudan to come to the United States – where they didn’t speak the language – and knew just one other family. Randa had a nursing degree and five years of nursing experience in Sudan, but here she had to start all over. She did it without complaint, advancing from English-as-a-second-language classes to nursing prerequisites and, undeterred when she didn’t pass the nursing school exam, to the pharmacy technician program.
All the while, she worried for her many family members who remained in Sudan amid rising violence. While she finished her coursework – and was accepted into Chattanooga State’s nursing school – she also raised funds to help more than two dozen family members escape her war-torn country.
For Randa, the persistence that got her to this point is part of who she is. “I love to learn new things,” Randa told us. “I never give up on something. If I decide to do something, I will do so.”
Arriving to Smiles in Chattanooga
In Sudan, Randa’s husband was part of a movement educating people about defending themselves against the government. It was dangerous work and, concerned about their safety, Randa and her husband applied for refugee status. In 2016, they arrived in the United States with their 7-, 4- and nearly 2-year-old sons.
Randa’s father had a friend in Chattanooga, so they decided they’d live in Tennessee. Members of Bridge Refugee Services were waiting for them at the airport, with a welcome sign in Arabic and smiles on their faces. In Sudan, the cultural custom is to only smile at people you love. But these strangers were giving big smiles — and they were real, Randa said.
It was a moment she’ll never forget. The stress and nervousness of their journey disappeared immediately. “They don’t know us. We just met, and oh my goodness,” Randa said. “But we felt love and support from the first moment we got to Chattanooga airport. It was a lovely moment. We were so afraid and we were concerned about so many things. We don’t speak the language. We don’t know anybody except my dad’s friend… But all that suddenly just disappeared with the first moment when they met us.”
Randa wasted no time adjusting to her new home. On her fourth day in Chattanooga, she took her first ESL class. Soon, she was taking three or four classes a day. “I set my mind like, ‘Hey, I’ve got to learn the language. I got to adopt the new community, new people, new culture, everything, for me to be able to survive. I’ve got to learn anything, everything. First thing I have to learn is English and I will go from there.” After two months, she was able to communicate in English.
Restarting her Career
Randa grew up wanting to be a journalist, a pharmacist, maybe an engineer. But her family wanted her to go into the medical field, so in Sudan she became a nurse. She planned to continue her career in the United States, but discovered her education would not transfer over. She had to start all over again.
For many people, this would be a frustrating moment, but Randa found the positive. “I really want to refresh my mind. And I really want to learn more, because the health system in this country is totally different than my country,” she said. Concepts like health insurance and HIPPA were brand new to her, and medication names were different. “I want to do the basic and go up,” she said.
After she learned English, she started a GED program. Her class was just twice a week, but she went every day, taking each class more than once to make sure she understood. As she continued her education, she also faced personal heartbreak. Her father, brother, and many other relatives died in Sudan, passing away after accidents and illness.
But Randa continued to push forward. She took classes in Chattanooga State’s pre-nursing school program, but then faced another hurdle: she did not score high enough on the nursing school entrance exam. She would have to wait a year to reapply.
It was a setback, but Randa persisted. Determined to advance her career, she enrolled in Chattanooga State’s pharmacy technician program. The program was challenging for her, but she stuck with it. “I joined it, and loved it,” she said. She recalled how, earlier in her life, she wanted to enter the pharmacy field. “And see how God works things out?” she said.
New Violence in Sudan
Randa was preparing to take her final tests for the pharmacy technician program, but her mind was occupied by new worries about Sudan. In April 2023, a new wave of violence broke out in Sudan, causing a crisis that has displaced more than 8 million people.
Her family members still living in Sudan were growing increasingly fearful for their safety and future. Professors and staff at Chattanooga State noticed Randa was feeling down, and when she shared her concerns about her family, they helped Randa set up a GoFundMe account.
Her goal was to raise $5,000. She raised $7,000, and 27 members of her family were able to relocate safely to Egypt. “I’m happy they made it, and I’m happy I’m here in the United States and there is a bunch of people, some I know, some of them I don’t know, that helped me to help my family,” Randa said. “We heard that Tennessee is the Volunteer State, but Chattanooga is, oh my gosh, oh my goodness.”
And Randa — who worried she would do poorly in her courses with all the stress facing her family — passed her exams.
Continuing on her Journey
When Randa’s story of persistence in the face of challenge was shared at Chattanooga State’s spring graduation ceremony, her mother watched tearfully from the audience. She was one of the family members who Randa helped rescue from Sudan.
Randa and her husband have four children now — a fourth son was born in the United States. And she has a clear plan for her immediate future: to work as a pharmacy tech while attending nursing school. Ultimately, her goal is to continue her education and become a nurse practitioner. As she looks ahead to the next stage of her education, she has a message for her fellow women refugees: that there is much opportunity to be found in the United States.
“You just see what fits with you and go for it, you will get help — from Bridge Refugee Services, from churches, schools, friends, neighbors, relatives, whatever,” she said. “And don’t hesitate to ask questions and learn things and just be humble. You will do excellent in your life.”
She paused, then added one more piece of advice. “And never give up.”