I am the daughter of two extremely diligent Pakistani immigrants who have always prioritized their children’s happiness above their own. However, life growing up wasn’t the prototype of the “American Dream.” My father worked a series of low-paying jobs that were unrelated to his background as an engineer because they didn’t require him to relocate or participate in month-long interviews that would limit the little family time he did have. He sacrificed his dream career for the sake of his family to have stability and give his children the opportunity to go to school in one of the best districts in the state. Simultaneously, my mother was a stay-at-home mom that managed all the household chores and expenses under a tight budget. Despite the language barrier and lack of a college degree, my mother had always supported my education unwaveringly. She nurtured my love for reading from a young age by taking me to the local library every Saturday for hours. As a little girl, I would wander around the library motivated to scout out as many books as I could possibly read in the two weeks before the due date. Reading provided me with an escape from how I was different from those around me. I could immerse myself into an alternative universe of determined protagonists, magical sidekicks, and perfect fairytale endings that was far from the reality I lived in. It was safe to say reading and academics served as a protective shield for the little Pakistani girl (one of the only South Asians at her school), who dressed in Wal-Mart apparel while her classmates had the latest Abercrombie outfits, from dwelling on what set her apart from her peers. It wasn’t until high school that I finally transformed from the little girl that hid behind books as a “defense mechanism” to the young woman that sought to learn through all the turbulences that came her way to fulfill her dream of giving back to the family that had fueled her spirit of learning from the start. I was able to take my passion for learning and convert it into something that would benefit others, especially the younger generation of students that housed brilliant minds but struggled to outwardly show their knowledge. The opportunity to contribute started with a job application on Indeed to a local tutoring center the summer after freshman year. Although I had never tutored before, I was ready to tackle the challenge of bridging the gaps of students that had fallen behind in school. As I helped students from sounding out phonics to setting up long division problems on stained white boards, something incredible was happening around me. Students that used to barely speak or write even a single word were excited to share their ideas, and the visible change in confidence levels was enough for me to know that transformation from the ground level to the top floor was feasible. My eyes had been opened to the fact that every single human is an intellectual being that is capable no matter where they start from. Tutoring had made me realize I could either see adversity as a threat to run away from, as the younger me would have done by turning to fictional books, or face adversity head on as an opportunity to grow. As the Emperor in Mulan said, “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all.” I finally realize that the beauty of adversity is the maturity and growth it has given me.

I am the daughter of two extremely diligent Pakistani immigrants who have always prioritized their children’s happiness above their own. However, life growing up wasn’t the prototype of the “American Dream.” My father worked a series of low-paying jobs that were unrelated to his background as an engineer because they didn’t require him to relocate or participate in month-long interviews that would limit the little family time he did have. He sacrificed his dream career for the sake of his family to have stability and give his children the opportunity to go to school in one of the best districts in the state. Simultaneously, my mother was a stay-at-home mom who managed all the household chores and expenses under a tight budget. Despite the language barrier and lack of a college degree, my mother had always supported my education unwaveringly. She nurtured my love for reading from a young age by taking me to the local library every Saturday for hours. The endless shelves of books in the children’s section, from classics by Dr. Seuss to books centered around my favorite PBS characters, were highly intriguing and found a spot in my mother’s bottomless tote bag. As a little girl, I would wander around the library motivated to scout out as many books as I could possibly read in the two weeks before the due date. Reading provided me with an escape from how I was different from those around me. I could immerse myself into an alternative universe of determined protagonists, magical sidekicks, and perfect fairytale endings that were far from the reality I lived in. It was safe to say reading and academics served as a protective shield for the little Pakistani girl (one of the only South Asians at her school), who dressed in Wal-Mart apparel while her classmates had the latest Abercrombie outfits, from dwelling on what set her apart from her peers. It wasn’t until high school that I finally transformed from the little girl who hid behind books as a “defense mechanism” to the young woman who sought to learn through all the turbulences that came her way to fulfill her dream of giving back to the family that had fueled her spirit of learning from the start. As the first person in my family to hopefully graduate from an institution of higher education in America, I know there are many aspects of the college application and college experience I will have to navigate on my own. Knowing I will be a first-generation student, I have taken numerous AP and Dual Enrollment classes in high school to help prepare me for the rigor of college. Besides challenging myself academically, I constantly strive to find resources to assist me on my learning journey and help others do the same. For example, I stumbled upon a free online tutoring platform called Schoolhouse.world as a resource to supplement what I learned in school while learning more about college life from tutors all across the world. I have also used social media platforms to connect with other first-generation students who are in the same boat as me when it comes to managing the rough waves of the college process. We all come together to form a support system of students who seek to overcome any hurdles that might come our way and pursue a college education to set us up for future success.

The last four years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. Four years ago, my father was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and unable to work. It isn't just the loss of income that has been difficult to grapple with, but the fact that my father is no longer the carefree, comedic man I remember. I was naive, concluding my beloved father was "sad" and just needed a temporary break to feel better. After the diagnosis, my mother stepped up to search for whatever work she could find despite having been a housewife with no formal degree for the past 15 years. She ended up working full-time as a crew member at McDonald's. Each day, she would return covered in grease and flushed from standing by the fryers for eight hours nonstop. Tensions ran high with the unprecedented changes in family dynamics, and I felt a deep compulsion to assist my mom in supplementing the household income. I decided to find a job (as a clueless 15-year-old), not realizing the exhaustion that would come with it. I started two jobs to make ends meet. Making pizzas required standing for hours near a hot oven with my legs feeling like jelly, my hands aching from tossing pizza dough incessantly and answering robotically: "Hi, this is Marco's Pizza. How can I help you today?" to the endless phone calls on a busy Friday night. The fifteen hours I worked each weekend plus the sixteen hours during the week as a tutor seemed equivalent to a forty-hour week. Not only did the work leave me exhausted and on the verge of burning out, but I had to wake up early every weekend to complete my assignments for the upcoming week to avoid getting behind. I constantly reminded myself I was doing this for my family to avoid bursting into tears each night. Knowing I had to remain strong, I decided to stay optimistic regardless of the hurdles life threw at me. My greatest inspiration to persevere is my faith. As a Muslim, I rely heavily on the powerful verses of the Holy Quran to uplift me in times of difficulty. One of my favorite verses is, "verily, with every hardship comes ease," which serves as a timeless reminder that adversity is not the end; rather, there is always light on the other side of the tunnel. As I continue to support my family financially and maintain a rigorous academic course load at school, I have learned from the past four years to remain optimistic and entrust my faith to carry me during difficult times. I hope to continue forging my own path. A path full of resilience, empathy, and compassion.

@hafon18

I am the daughter of two extremely diligent Pakistani immigrants who have always prioritized their children’s happiness above their own. However, life growing up wasn’t the prototype of the “American Dream.” My father worked a series of low-paying jobs that were unrelated to his background as an engineer because they didn’t require him to relocate or participate in month-long interviews that would limit the little family time he did have. He sacrificed his dream career for the sake of his family to have stability and give his children the opportunity to go to school in one of the best districts in the state. Simultaneously, my mother was a stay-at-home mom that managed all the household chores and expenses under a tight budget. Despite the language barrier and lack of a college degree, my mother had always supported my education unwaveringly. She nurtured my love for reading from a young age by taking me to the local library every Saturday for hours. The endless shelves of books in the children’s section, from classics by Dr. Seuss to books centered around my favorite PBS characters, were highly intriguing and found a spot in my mother’s bottomless tote bag. As a little girl, I would wander around the library motivated to scout out as many books as I could possibly read in the two weeks before the due date. Reading provided me with an escape from how I was different from those around me. I could immerse myself into an alternative universe of determined protagonists, magical sidekicks, and perfect fairytale endings that was far from the reality I lived in. It was safe to say reading and academics served as a protective shield for the little Pakistani girl (one of the only South Asians at her school), who dressed in Wal-Mart apparel while her classmates had the latest Abercrombie outfits, from dwelling on what set her apart from her peers. It wasn’t until high school that I finally transformed from the little girl that hid behind books as a “defense mechanism” to the young woman that sought to learn through all the turbulences that came her way to fulfill her dream of giving back to the family that had fueled her spirit of learning from the start. I was able to take my passion for learning and convert it into something that would benefit others, especially the younger generation of students that housed brilliant minds but struggled to outwardly show their knowledge. The opportunity to contribute started with a job application on Indeed to a local tutoring center the summer after freshman year. I had been urgently job-searching to help support my family financially when the chance to tutor appeared in front of me as a blessing in disguise. Although I had never tutored before, I was ready to tackle the challenge of bridging the gaps of students that had fallen behind in school. As I helped students from sounding out phonics to setting up long division problems on stained white boards, something incredible was happening around me. Students that used to barely speak or write even a single word were excited to share their ideas, and the visible change in confidence levels was enough for me to know that transformation from the ground level to the top floor was feasible. My own goal is to pursue a higher education debt-free, so I can give back to my family and community with whatever I earn. I ultimately dream of becoming a self-made social impact entrepreneur and having a strong business education will help me make my dream a reality.

My ideal future self would be someone who centers her life around being compassionate and content with every blessing God has bestowed upon her.

As a first-generation Muslim American and daughter of Pakistani immigrants, my Muslim identity is marked by a journey of self-discovery and relying on my faith as a lifeline during the prosperous and adverse times of my life. From an early age, I witnessed my parents center their entire lives around the deen of Islam and teach their children to do the same. The principles of community, kindness, resilience, and lifelong learning that Islam preaches have played an integral role in shaping who I am today. The discipline that practicing Islam has instilled in me has influenced how I approached and curated my academic goals as well. By learning how to tune out distractions, especially during the designated five daily prayers, I have been able to improve my focus overall and learn how to prioritize my time according to what matters most to me. Upon entering high school, my Islamic values have driven me to always pay attention in class, soak in as much knowledge as I can, and stay away from actions that will only distract me from my future endeavors. Islam has taught me the intrinsic value of knowledge and using it to positively impact the world around me. Besides striving to do well in my courses at school, I have decided to give back through volunteer tutoring. In Islam, no good deed goes unnoticed, and I rely on my faith to motivate me to help others in whatever shape or form I can. Not only has being a Muslim made me a strong advocate for global education, but it has shaped my career goal to become an ethical business owner just like Khadijah R.A.herself. Known for her religious piety and female empowerment through commerce, Khadijah R.A. serves as an inspiration for me to follow in her footsteps of entrepreneurship- all while centering her life around increasing her faith and giving back to others in the path of Islam. She also never wavered in her support for her husband and beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W in ensuring that Islam could transform as many lives as possible for the better. Learning more about historical figures in Islam that constantly strived to improve their spiritual relationship with Allah while helping those around them made me even stronger in my iman. My Muslim identity has become the focal point of my life, and I am proud to be recognized as a Muslim woman through my hijab. I know that challenges will come my way, and there will be times I will have to clear misconceptions about my faith. While starting this new chapter of my life and going off to college seems a bit daunting, I know holding onto my deen and Muslim identity will ensure my college years are a formative time for me. This scholarship will prevent my family from financial burden as growing up in a low-income household means that my family cannot financially afford to send me to college. I would be extremely blessed to be awarded this scholarship, so I can pursue a degree in business, ultimately opening my own successful business one day. Alhamdulillah for this opportunity to make attaining my academic and career goals a reality.

If a random stranger were to walk up to me and ask "What makes sense?", my instant response would be "Math." For a pragmatic individual like me, math is all about utilizing logic to make sense of the world around me- to piece together the complex parts that make up the simple whole. Math is a subject that pertains to all aspects of one's life from calculating the weekly grocery budget to figuring out the cost of maintaining a house in the long run. Math is about becoming a problem-solver even if it takes hours or days. Math is about being innovative and accepting the impossible can become possible. One of my favorite contemporary movies based on overlooked history, "Hidden Figures," showcases the crucial role mathematics plays in scientific advancement and how it opens more doors of opportunities for women to demonstrate their unique talents and intelligence. The movie follows the lives of a group of three strong, highly-educated African American women working as "computers" at NASA during the peak of the Space Race. Not only did these women break barriers in a field that was dominated by white men, but their calculations were also vital in enabling the US to launch a man to the moon- a historic feat by all accounts that was made possible by math. Math is important to me because it challenges me to push myself time over time- to find a solution sometimes as simple as one. I love learning math because it forces me to stay focused and critically think about the problem right in front of me. In high school, I leaped at the chance to take the accelerated math pathway allowing me to take Geometry and Algebra II as a freshman. While it was challenging due to the amount of classwork and the complexity of certain units, I realized that math provided me an escape from the chaotic world around me. I could enter a world where imaginary and irrational solutions were celebrated for their uniqueness. I was eager to explore other higher-level math courses at my school because of the beauty I discovered in math. I decided to sign up for AP Calculus AB and was unaware of how transformative the course would be for me. I enjoyed my Calculus course because it was unlike any other math class I had been exposed to. It emphasized making sense of the abstract and understanding that even the "limit" of a function could reach infinity. Not only did the core purpose behind Calculus resonate with me, but I was also able to translate the lessons I learned from this class to my life outside of school. Whether it was comprehending the real-world applications of differentiation or relying less on solely the numbers but what the numbers meant, math made the world around me less of a mystery. Taking my love for math, I am excited to pursue a degree in business- knowing that numbers are the foundation of local, national, and global commerce. I know that my "sin" to follow my dreams is based on the "right" reasons- something math helped highlight to me.

Reading had always provided me with an escape from how I was different from those around me. As a child, reading meant I could immerse myself into an alternate universe of determined protagonists, magical sidekicks, and perfect fairytale endings that was far from the reality I lived in. One book that spoke to me unlike any other was Little Women. When I first stumbled across it as a young fifth-grader, I was unaware of the transformative impact it would have on me. The novel chronicles the lives of the March sisters- Meg, Beth, Jo and Amy. The distinct personalities of each sister from strong-willed Jo to childish Amy are so well-developed that I cannot help but feel that I have met each one in reality. Particularly, I felt an instant connection to Jo-a woman that did not back down from her aspiration to become a published writer despite the profession being almost an anomaly for women in the nineteenth century amidst the Civil War. Additionally, the themes of female empowerment and the strength of sisterhood were interwoven throughout this poignant novel that was quite ahead of its time. While this book has its fair share of humor and drama, it does not veer away from highlighting the harsh realities of life such as the death of Beth due to the dreadful scarlet fever or Jo selling her luscious locks to earn some money to support her family. Little Women serves as a powerful reminder that family support in the good- and bad times- is invaluable. Not only does Little Women motivate me to make my family proud, but it inspires me to chase my dreams without compromising who I am as a person- a priceless lesson I learned from Jo March.

Mental health had always been a topic that was never fully discussed in my household yet continued to linger with its undeniable presence. As I grew older, I saw loved ones around me struggling with major depressive disorder but hesitant to ask for help from a mental health professional due to stigma and the hefty price tag that came with seeking treatment. However, I saw firsthand how detrimental this perspective on mental health care was to the lives of those closest to me. I finally realized that to make existing mental health care practices more effective, the first step would be to change the negative perceptions surrounding the accessibility of mental health care. By educating people of all ages and backgrounds on the importance of caring about one's mental well-being, I can contribute to the effort of destigmatizing seeking medical help for something besides physical ailments. I think the best way to educate about mental health would be to create a comprehensive online platform where users can learn about mental health through bite-sized videos and have access to a plethora of resources. Additionally, the platform would have the option to be connected with a volunteer mental health professional in one's area either in-person or virtually- all at no cost. Mental health should no longer be thrown under the rug, and it is up to the world to collaborate in bringing justice to those that struggle with mental health in silence.

My future plans for my education is to attend an institution of higher education where I can thrive as a learner and constantly challenge myself to expand my understanding of the world around me. After working and observing the immense impact small businesses have on the community around them, I knew that the business field was where I wanted to be. As a first-generation American and the daughter of working class Pakistani immigrants, I want to be able to showcase my entrepreneurial spirit through the creation of my own business and give back to my parents that have supported me throughout life. My heritage along with my identity as a proud Texan woman is something I want to highlight as a female business owner that will only be possible after pursuing a college education that properly equips me for the rapidly growing and changing business world. I know that I must put in the effort to see the results, and I grasp every opportunity that comes my way in order to be one step closer to achieving my goals. I do not want to stop at simply starting a business either. My experiences working with children has shown me that the youth in our communities have so much unlocked potential and creativity that just needs a nudge to be released. I want to be able to support the young entrepreneurs in bringing their personal business plans to life and being an adult that mentors them into being the next leaders of industry. With my goals set, the next step would be for me to swim into the ocean of opportunities without looking back.

Making a positive impact in the world seems like a daunting achievement when I see people inventing cures for diseases or playing a role in lifting their communities from poverty. I also hope to be someone that might be able to partake in helps no others at a larger scale, but I acknowledge the fact that a positive impact can be a simple action too. I try to make a positive impact when I interact with others whether it’s family, friends, customers, or the kids around me. I focus on trying to uplift others during a time where having a balanced self-esteem and self-worth seems almost impossible to have. I want to see others smiling or just being overjoyed that someone finally asked how their day was. Sometimes it takes a person to make a positive “dent” on the world that eventually transforms itself into a meaningful impact.

Independence to me is not really isolating myself, but learning to be myself and help sustain my personality on my own. I have gained so much awareness of being independent by starting to work at a young age. The responsibilities and roles for each position are meant to be fulfilled solely by the one with that position. At work, I cannot rely on my parents, teachers, or other adults to solve problems. Working as really allowed me to be independent and focus on what I want to do. It has prepared me for life after high school and college where independence is key to being successful. Being independent is not always easy, but it's impact make every effort of being independent worth it.