Dr Marrwah Ahmadzai is one of those people whom everyone seems to like. Her colleagues at Canberra Hospital beam with smiles when they see her. They are effusive about her. She is modest.
Before she was born, her mother and father fled from Afghanistan when gunfire and public executions were part of daily life. They were dentists who eventually ended up in Australia via a refugee camp in Pakistan.
And now she delivers babies in Canberra Hospital. She's in the running for ACT Australian of the Year.
The parents are immensely proud of the daughter, both because of her work as an obstetrician at the hospital but also, now, because, she has been recognised by being nominated for the award.
"My mother is very excited," Dr Ahmadzai said.
"When she first found out, she burst into tears. They both feel a great sense of pride. They have invested a lot into our education."
Dr Ahmadzi once wrote a letter to her parents: "You both sat on the rusty cage of the lorry that drove you over the border into Pakistan and into uncertainty.
"Your stomachs must have lurched with every winding turn as you watched the wheels inch ever close to the precarious cliff edge hugging the road."
Not only are her parents in Canberra but also grandparents and a host of cousins and aunts and uncles.
She went to Giralang Primary School, Kaleen High School, Melba Copland Secondary School and then got a raft of degrees at the University of New South Wales.
But it wasn't plain sailing. She suffered racism. In one incident, her headscarf was pulled off.
The nomination for the ACT Australian of the Year award has two parts: doctor and diversity advocate.
She is a "diversity advocate" because of her own experience. She says she has "dealt with racism and discrimination". As a result, part of her work is helping refugees (people in a similar plight to that of her parents).
"I'm interested in the intersection of health and race and how we can provide culturally safe healthcare."
She says that treating people who may not speak English well means allowing more time for appointments, for example. There may need to be better communication, perhaps using diagrams more, or communicating in languages other than English.
She thinks that being nominated for ACT Australian of the Year is an honour in itself but also an opportunity to use a platform to promote sensitivity to different needs in a mixed community.
"It's super," she said. "I have so many emotions. Firstly, I'm grateful that someone in the community has nominated me.
"I feel a bit overwhelmed. It's exciting. It gives you a platform - an opportunity. I also have a sense of responsibility."
She and three others find out who has won on Friday. She - and especially her mother - feel she has been honoured already.
The others nominated are Patrick Mills (basketball player and Indigenous rights advocate), Dr David O'Rourke (also an obstetrician and the co-founder of Mother Ignacia Hospital) and Dr Sam Prince (doctor and entrepreneur).
