MC Foundation Student Story

When Mahiya M. Khan arrived at Montgomery College in February 2025 after moving from Bangladesh, she had to adjust to an entirely new country and begin her college journey in the middle of the academic year. A summer course introduced her to the Macklin Business Institute (MBI), where she found an academic community that quickly became an integral part of her Montgomery College experience.

Mahiya, a business administration student, plans to transfer to a four-year institution to study economics and finance. She says her interest in business grew from a desire to understand how economies and markets work. But Ali Alavi, an associate professor of business administration, helped her see business in a new light. In Mahiya’s Introduction to Business class, Professor Alavi told students, “Business is not just a tool for making money. We have a shared responsibility.” “He really made me see how business can be used for the good of the people, for the good of the community—not just a tool to make money,” she says. “And I was sold.”

That philosophy became an important part of Khan’s Montgomery College experience. Through the MBI Café, a student-run Starbucks café at Rockville, she applies classroom lessons to real-world business decisions. She also has volunteered with the TRiO program, helped with the Raptor Tank competition, and competed with an MBI team at the 2026 national Enactus competition in Denver. This summer, she helped teach more than 25 high school students in the College’s Summer Rise program about the role of Three Ps: People, Profit, and Planet in business. The program culminated in a student-run MBI Café experience that raised money for the Foundation’s Student Emergency Fund.

Now, Mahiya will serve as one of two Montgomery College Foundation Board student directors, a role she sees as an opportunity to advocate for her fellow students. Her MBI scholarship is facilitated by the Foundation, making the mission deeply personal.

“I know the Foundation… will allow me to advocate for the student community,” she says. “Students really need to know that there are opportunities, and they need to know they don’t have to do it alone.” Mahiya also hopes to learn from the community and business leaders who serve on the board while helping them understand the impact of their philanthropy firsthand. “I’m an example of the work they’re doing,” she says. “I received a scholarship. It helps me.” Ultimately, Khan wants students to know they have people in their corner. “That’s what students need,” she says. “Knowing that there are people out there who are looking out for them.”

For Mahiya, philanthropy means using whatever resources one has—expertise, money, time, or dedication—for the welfare of the community. As she begins her term, she hopes to ensure that student voices are heard and that the Foundation’s momentum continues. “I hope to leave with a contentment in my heart,” Mahiya says, “knowing that I represented the student body well, and they had a voice in every decision that was taken.”