Samiha Ahmad has suffered from migraine headaches since she was 6 years old.

Over the summer, the incoming sophomore at Queens High School of the Sciences at York College channeled her pain into a drawing she created showing a woman holding her head with two hands.

“It’s been really painful when I get it. I would constantly have this feeling of throbbing and pounding in the back of my head,” Ahmad said as she pointed at and explained the art. “This girl is having a migraine marked by her distressed expression that she is wearing on her face. The pain areas are marked by the color red.”

What You Need To Know

  • Samiha Ahmad is an incoming sophomore at Queens High School for the Sciences at York College and has suffered with migraine headaches since she was 6 years old

  • Ahmad took part in the Headache & Arts this summer, a program to teach high school students about the brain, migraine headaches and concussion

  • The program is geared to raise awareness for these ailments

  • Dr. Mia Minen, the founder of the program says when students head back to school their lifestyles change which makes this subject matter of utmost importance

She created a drawing in the Headache & Arts Program. It’s offered year round and offered for free to 9th through 12th graders in various public and private schools in the city. It teaches High School students about the brain, migraine and concussion through art.

Ahmad says sometimes it is difficult for her to explain exactly how she is feeling and she says the Headache & Arts program allows her to take what she is feeling and translate that into artwork.

“Art can give you an alternative way to express those emotions in depth,” Ahmad said.

When NY1 interviewed her, she was on her way to meet with the founder of the program, Dr. Mia Minen and one of its teachers, Aarti Katara. They put on prism glasses that emulate what people may see when they have these extreme headaches. 

“They can wear them and see how vision can change for people who have migraine with aura,” Minen said. “An aura is transient neurological symptoms, meaning it is something that comes and goes over a period of five to 60 minutes. It can be visual changes like wavy lines, can be loss of vision like tunnel vision, it can be numbness.”

The program was founded seven years ago but is based on art that is centuries old.

“Vincent Van Gogh, for example with Starry Night, the thought [that] Starry Night is based off his aura,” Minen said.

Dr. Minen says learning about these ailments that influenced some masters can be helpful for students as they return to school.

“People go to bed super late, they get less sleep, stress levels can increase by exams and projects,” Minen said.

Ahmad knows the pressures of schoolwork but now also knows to speak up. The program has not cured her pain but has eliminated its stigma.

“To get help is the most important thing because sometimes we might have it and not realize it, which would mean you could probably not get the proper treatment that you need,” Ahmad said.