A belief in the value of education was instilled in me by my parents at a young age. They both value education greatly and obtained graduate degrees. However, it took some soul searching to find out exactly why education is important to me. I realized that education can make me a person who is able to handle challenges and make the best possible judgements I can from experience in a way that can help the people around me. The college experience as a whole is something that I believe will help me grow as a person. I also have a goal: to pursue a career related to the sciences accompanied by a creative, communication-oriented component. Learning to communicate well, especially when it comes to explaining plans for a project on others’ behalf in a cohesive way will be important for me in my future career. I want to be pushed to work more efficiently; I tend to unknowingly stretch out the time I allocate for tasks to occupy the time available for me to complete them in, so I hope to learn to allocate my time more wisely. It will also be an opportunity to make connections with people. Exposure to diverse opportunities is important to me. I want to have guidance when it comes to navigating internships and getting experience in the field and the like. Ultimately, I want to seize as many opportunities as I can in college. My cousins in Sudan had to put each of their educations on hold when conflict broke out in 2023. The challenges that they are facing with needing to start their degrees over from the beginning or having to self-teach while also dealing with recent losses feels far removed from my day-to-day life. Knowing how uncertain their lives have been these past few years. motivates me to take advantage of the ease with which I can continue my education. I feel privileged to have options when it comes to my higher education. I plan to pay it forward for others like myself by making myself available as a mentor for girls who are first year students in Muslim Student Association at the University of Pittsburgh in a few years. This is because since I am now in the position of receiving this support from my upperclassmen and know how helpful it is. Knowing I am not alone as a muslim woman in the academic space that I occupy is nice because there are people who have been in my shoes who I can turn to for advice or simply a sense of community.