My name is Iman Waraich, and I am a senior at George Mason University in Northern Virginia. I am a business major with a concentration in marketing. After I graduate in May 2023, I plan on taking on a gap year and after that, I will attend law school. Currently, I am 18 years old and the reason I am so young and a senior in college is because I graduated from high school at 16 years old and I took a lot of college classes at once each semester. My parents are from Pakistan, and I grew up in the Pakistani Muslim culture however, I am also a very proud American. Despite the setbacks, I had to face in my life regarding racism or my parent's immigration status, I have tried very hard academically and I am proud of where I am today. I choose to major in marketing because I believe that it is crucial for one to understand how to sell products even if that "product" is you yourself. A few years ago, I made the decision to go to law school. I have seen my parents struggle with their immigration statuses and we have all seen the active Islamophobia in American culture. These two issues have pushed me to use my marketing and law degrees to become an attorney and to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.

One thing that I love about myself is that I am a very ambitious and hard-working young woman. I graduated high school at 16 and at 18 years old, I am a junior in university who is determined to go to Law School. I work as a substitute teacher while studying for the LSAT and I always spare enough time to study for classes and spend time with my family. I love that I have a lot to offer and that day by day I am working toward my goals. I love that I am a kind and warmhearted person and it is crucial for me to love myself because of it. For a long time, I struggled to recognize the ambition and strength I am filled with which led to a lot of low confidence. I felt that if I loved myself for accomplishing so much and being ambitious, it made me egotistical. Once I defeated that feeling, I realized that loving myself brings my confidence up, allows me to accomplish more goals, and ultimately makes me a happier person.

One sentence I would like to share with the world is “Success is a choice, choose it”. This sentence is so important to me because it reminds me that my future is in my hands. In this day and age, people love to blame their problems on others and no one takes responsibility for their actions. Kids my age, including me, scroll mindlessly on social media for hours and never have the energy to accomplish daily tasks. The sentence “Success is a choice, choose it” is a constant reminder that no one is coming to tell you to get off your phone or to finish your homework. Similarly, in the end, no one will be as satisfied and happy with your success as you would be. Making the right choices daily will lead to amazing results. You must have enough discipline to make the right choices in order to become successful.

My parents motivate me on a daily basis to conquer my every day goals and tasks. During the last twenty-five years, my parents have gone through so many difficulties for our family. My mom and dad were raised in very appalling conditions. They never had enough food to eat, they did not have bathrooms, and they did not have money for health care. In fact, my mom’s family did not have money to send her to college. When they got married, my parents worked gruesome jobs to earn enough money to move to America. My dad had to fix cars under the hot sun for twelve hours a day. My mom worked as a maid in Pakistan. After two years of working, they moved to the USA. For the majority of my life, I remember my parents struggling to make a substantial salary. They did not have a lot of time to spend with my siblings and me but we understand why. When I look back at the hard drive and focus that they've maintained for so long, it motivates me to accomplish my goals. Everything I am working towards is for them so I always put my best foot forward. Their sacrifices and experiences make me work harder and never let them down. Every day, I remember how they've sent their lives and it motivates me to accomplish my dreams so they can finally live an easy life.

Last summer, I was riding the swing ride at the Navy Pier in Chicago. The view of the city, the weather, and all the background noise were magical. I felt like I was in a movie. Then, I watched the best fireworks I have ever seen. My mood was so happy, euphoric, and I felt alive after a long time. That night is a happy memory for me because up until that point, my mental health was on a decline, and being there made me realize that there’s so much to experience in life and I shouldn’t give up hope.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is my favorite book. Before I read this book, the people closest to me would’ve described me as a strict girl who doesn’t really show emotion. But boy did this book change that! A Thousand Splendid Suns is a novel about the lives of two women living in Kabul, Afghanistan during the 1990s. The author does a fantastic job of portraying how lives were torn apart during that time period. I love this book because it taught me how to be grateful for every little thing in my life. It taught me how to love and appreciate my family, my friends, the opportunities I get, the experiences I’ve had, and so much more. Honestly, I started to be grateful for small things as well such as my colorful pens and my scented candles. I made sure to tell the people I cared about most that I loved them. I realized I am privileged and that my voice and actions can affect a lot of lives. I began donating money and volunteered whenever I got the chance to. I felt so much sadness for the characters and people who experienced that kind of pain in real life. At the same time, I felt lucky and grateful to be born in a family and in a country that values and respects me. The most wonderful thing about reading books is that they teach us lessons. The lesson I learned by reading A Thousand Splendid Suns will follow me for the rest of my life and that is why it is my favorite book.

Growing up as an Asian American was nothing but a roller coaster. My Pakistani background defines every aspect of my life. My childhood was filled with watching Bollywood movies, attending Islamic school, talking to relatives in Pakistan, eating biryani, and so much more. I loved who I was until I left my house. My mom wears traditional Pakistani clothes, called Shalwar Kameez, everywhere she goes. I used to feel so embarrassed to walk next to her when we would be in public. I never let my mom go on any of my school field trips because I used to think that the kids in my class would make fun of her. I also wear Shalwar Kameez but only at home and when we go visit our relatives. As a kid, I never played outside because I did not want to wear Shalwar Kameez outside of my house. I thought that I would hurt my parent’s feelings if I changed my clothes before going to the playground. I didn’t want them to know that I felt embarrassed by our culture. So, they always thought that I was an introverted kid who liked to stay home which was not the case. When I was in elementary school, I loved putting henna on my hands. Once the design would come off a little bit, I would put more henna over it even if the last design was still visible. At school, I would always wear gloves or have my hands shoved under my desk. I didn’t like it when kids would ask me what was on my hands. If someone did ask, I would tell them that I drew a design on my hand with a brown marker. I was that one kid whose name the teacher or substitute would mispronounce on the attendance sheet. I would think about changing my name to be more “American” because all I wanted was to fit in. Despite all the insecurities, I dealt with as a kid, I now embrace and love my Asian American identity. So how and when did I change? The best answer to that is different experiences I had changed my mindset. In recent years, I experienced tremendous racism in which people have called me all sorts of racial profanities and said some very cruel things. Being Asian, specifically South Asian is very difficult in America because people see you as a terrorist or someone they should be afraid of. Whenever I watch the news, I only see my people being labeled as something they aren’t. This made me realize that I don’t need to be insecure about my Pakistani background at all because other people’s opinions and thoughts don’t matter especially when they don’t know what they are talking about. Most Americans today don’t know much about other cultures besides their own. It’s okay for them to ask questions and be curious but it is not okay for them to ridicule other people for embracing their cultures and background. For me, it was so hard to blend together my Asian identity and American identity as one. At school, I read Judy Moody books and listened to One Direction. At home, I was completely absorbed by Pakistani food, clothes, TV shows, etc. I always kept my two identities separated which was a major issue. The experiences I had, whether it was me being insecure about my culture or whether it was someone being racially insensitive toward me, made me into who I am today. I fully accept both my Asian and American identities as one, and I do not care about what other people have to say about the Shalwar Kameez I am wearing or the henna on my hands.