Yesterday was a great day. I attended a ceremony with my sister. It was organized by The College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sulaimani to honor Professor Dr. Jalal Majeed Shareef (my uncle). He was the first dean of the college, and he established the college with a few other doctors back in 1995.
It was really special to accompany him visiting the place he built 30 years ago. The last time he traveled back to Sulaymaniyah was in 2017, so I had not seen him for 8 years. He is a great inspiration to me and our family. Everything he did/does is an amazing story to hear. The challenges he faced, the obstacles he overcame are all outstanding! For all of his life, what he cared about is science, teaching, and guiding others to success. And I was really overwhelmed by the love he received from all his former staff, colleagues, and students.
A short story about him
My uncle was born in Sulaymaniyah in 1947 and graduated with a degree in veterinary medicine from Baghdad in 1970. He worked in different cities across Iraq, even joining the Peshmerga forces in 1974 with his colleague Dr. Ismail Amin to serve rural communities and farmers when the government wasn’t providing veterinary services. He went to the UK for his master’s and PhD, specializing in avian diseases.
When the University of Sulaimani was re-established in the early 1990s, he played a key role and became the first dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995, serving for ten years. He also taught at multiple colleges and became a full professor in 2005. After serving as a cultural advisor at the Iraqi Embassy in Washington DC, he moved to South Carolina and now runs a poultry farm.
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