Medical scholarship honors 9/11 victim

Anam Ahmed, a graduating Queens College biochemistry student, was just 11 when Mohammed Salman Hamdani perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

She had never met Hamdani, a 23-year-old Queens College alumnus and certified emergency medical technician who rushed to Ground Zero to help after he saw smoke billowing up from the World Trade Center.

The two, however, are now forever bonded through a scholarship that honors Hamdani's memory and will aid Ahmed, a Queens resident, as she begins medical school in September.

"I just want to have him as an example and be continuously inspired by him," Ahmed, 21, the award's first recipient, told Hamdani's mother Tuesday in their emotional first meeting.

Talat Hamdani, who moved to Lake Grove after her son's death, funded the $5,000 partial scholarship, which she set up to aid Queens College students interested in Pakistani culture and pursuing a career in medicine. She hopes to increase the scholarship through contributions.

She shed tears upon greeting Ahmed at Queens College and held tight to the student's hand. The pair discussed the similarities between the upbringings and aspirations of Ahmed and Mohammed Salman Hamdani, known as "Sal" to his friends.

Like Ahmed, Hamdani was Pakistan-born, aspired to be a doctor and adored his family.

"I'm very happy that you're getting this award established to honor his legacy to humanity," said Talat Hamdani.

The decade since the 9/11 attacks has been devastating for the Hamdani family.

In the weeks after his disappearance, a published report wrongly linked him to the terrorist attacks, and a flier with his picture was circulated among NYPD officers, saying an FBI-police department joint terrorist task force wanted to speak with him. The fliers were unauthorized, and their source was unclear, police later said. But the false rumors about his involvement in the attack spread.

The scholarship "didn't come out of that horrible story. It came out of his sacrifice," Talat Hamdani said. "They tried to take away his dignity in death and they cannot do it."

Ahmed, who researches cancer cells and will attend SUNY Downstate College of Medicine this fall, said she discovered "really overwhelming" connections with Sal Hamdani. He teased his brothers with the same jokes she uses on her sisters and he rushed to Ground Zero wanting to save everyone regardless of their background, she said.

Queens College Professor Wilma Saffran, who mentors Ahmed and taught Hamdani in a biochemistry course, said she is confident Ahmed will honor Hamdani's legacy.

"Anam is carrying forth his goal and his dream," Saffran said."For Sal, that dream was cut short. Anam is going to go and move that ahead." With AP