Driven by ambition and discipline, Dearborn High School (DHS) senior Bissan Elzein has turned her dreams into reality. On Dec. 2, 2025, Elzein committed to Columbia University in New York after years of dedication and hard work. Elzein had other college options, and Columbia wasn’t her initial choice. Through Questbridge, a college match program for low-income students, she ultimately matched with Columbia.
“So I actually didn’t choose Columbia. As an applicant through the Questbridge National College Match Program, when I was selected as a finalist, I got to rank up to 15 Questbridge partner schools to “rank” based on preference and apply to,” Elzein said, “On Questbridge Match Day, applicants find out if they matched to any of the schools they ranked, the highest school on your list
that accepts you is the school you are bound to attend with a full-ride scholarship.”
Though it was not her top choice, Columbia had many academic offerings that stood out to Elzein.
“I decided to rank Columbia as one of the schools on my Questbridge list because, for me, it checked off all the boxes that I wanted as part of my college experience. From an academic standpoint, I felt like the opportunities at Columbia would set me up very well as a prospective pre-med student.” Elzein said.
A turning point in Elzein’s Academic journey was the Summer Science program (SSP) that confirmed her passion for biochemistry.
“SSP was the most life-changing experience for me. It allowed me to solidify my interest in doing biochemistry research in college, and exposed me to the most intense content material that I never
could’ve imagined learning,” Elzein said.
However, the journey wasn’t easy. Elzein juggled rigorous academics with extracurriculars.
“I had a lot of very difficult classes with my extracurriculars, because I play soccer year-round, and also balancing that with my internships and my clubs and other things that I do,” Elzein said.
Despite these obstacles, she stayed focused on her goals.
“I stayed motivated by just thinking about what I wanted my end goal to be, and thinking about all the rewards that would bring me and all the new things that I had to learn,” she said.
The support from her family helped her maintain balance. Her younger brother, Ali Elzein, a junior at DHS, has been a source of encouragement.
“We prioritize taking breaks within our studies, but always make sure that we’re getting them done instead of just mixing them in together,” Ali said.
Elzein has been an inspiration to both her family and the Dearborn community while encouraging her brother to adopt a similar approach in terms of work ethic.
“No matter how hard something is, keep pushing yourself. That’s probably the main thing I learned from my sister,” Ali said.
DHS AP Government teacher Eftikhar Saleh-Hernandez praised Elzein’s discipline and work ethic.
“She’s very disciplined. She’s probably one of the most disciplined people I’ve seen by far when it deals with work ethic, she’s the kind of student that will come and ask for help. She’s the kind where she notices if she starts to go awry and not do what she’s supposed to do, and then she recalibrates and then focuses,” Saleh-Hernandez said.
Elzein credits her organizational skills for helping her succeed.
“I overcame them by just staying organized, so making a set schedule for myself was really important and constant communication with my teachers,” she said.
While Elzein is excited for what Columbia may hold for her, leaving the Dearborn Community is bittersweet.
“I’m nervous just because I’m leaving my friends, I’m leaving my family, and I’ve gotten used to the environment here at Dearborn High,” she said.
