Nabeela Rasheed
With a Ph.D. in biochemistry and a law degree, Nabeela Rasheed is well-versed in all things right-brained. “I love my job but even more rewarding than my day-to-day practice are the opportunities that being at the intersection of science and law has afforded me both as a mentor and as a leader in civic organizations,” says Rasheed, the Section Head of Intellectual Property at AbbVie Inc. A self-professed Pakistani “old Muslim and new lesbian,” Rasheed emigrated to the USA from the UK more than 25 years ago, and embraced her new queer identity just recently when she met her partner. “My coming out was pretty much an ‘all-in’ process,” she says. “One minute I was merely a gay ally and the next I was out as a lesbian.” Rasheed says that falling for a woman was not the first time she’s experienced “cultural pitfalls” as a South Asian woman, and that it’s something she’s accepted for herself and her relationship. “I love my family, I love my girlfriend, and in my world,” Rasheed says, “these two spheres can exist happily and in harmony.”—TB
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