When I was sixteen years old, I lost my grandmother and my uncle within a month of each other. From this, I learned that life is short and delicate. I used to believe that school and exams were the only important things in my life. Constantly stressing over things that I know now are not as important as family and being present in the moment. The experience mad me stronger as a person because I learned through difficulty comes ease. Real life is not as easy as people make it out to be: people die, lose jobs, and go through a multitude of unfortunate events. Though if a person weren't to lose that job, they may have not gotten a new job that they love more or start their own business! In the Quran, the holy book of Muslims,a verse important verse is written, “So, surely with hardship comes ease” (Quran 94:5). I may have lost family members, but it also made me have a different outlook on life and how life is too short to not try to do things that make you happy. This being said, I may not have two people that I loved with me physically anymore, I now to cherish those who are and to make them proud. To be frank, there is always going to be another exam, assignment, or job shift that needs to be taken. Putting the ones you love first, while also not stressing over things you cannot control is the way to go. From this, I take off days to make it to family events and take mental health breaks. For example, I used to be the person to try and get straight A's in high school and college. I know understand that getting a B or C will still get you the same degree as the person at the top of that very same class. Since 2016, I have formed healthy habits such as going to the gym and walks almost everyday. These activities ease my mind, anxiety, and stresses. Noting that there are bigger things going on then school. My grandmother never went to school. Never graduated high school, or got her GED. When I would tell her about my aspirations of going into the medical field, she would always tell me how proud she was and how she believed in me. My siti (grandma in arabic) was an immigrant from Palestine in 1948. Where family is the number one priority. Losing her, made me realize that family is all you have when all the glory/ dream jobs disappear. Without family, who would push you to achieve the most ambitious goals against all odds. Siti may be gone, but her resilience, loving, determined essence lives in me and all the decisions I make. This July, I will be attending the Rutgers-School of Health Professions to obtain my doctorate in physical therapy. This making my dreams a reality while still being close to family. I will be commuting to campus everyday rather than moving to a nearby apartment or living in a dorm. It is the little things that make the hugest difference in your life. Moral of the story is to be ambitious and follow your dreams no matter how big or small. While not forgetting the ones who got you there on the way there.

My major is Exercise Science. I am obtaining this degree at Rutgers University -New Brunswick May 2022. God willing, I will start my physical therapy Doctorate program in July 2022. I am passionate about taking care of you body and strengthening muscles to support people’s bones and prevent pain. I work as a physical therapy aide and it has confirmed my passion for the field. Especially because I workout six days a week, I truly enjoy exercising and teaching others about it. My Grandmother inspired me to pursue this career because when she came to America from Palestine, she did not have many options. She was a big believer in education and hard work. Again, it is important to me to seek higher education because I truly want to make a difference. Not many women are in the STEM field. An even narrower percentage of those few women are Palestinian Muslims. My grandparents were broke when they moved her and depended on the community to help them grow. Now, thankfully, we have know to educate kids as much as you can so one day the can survive by themselves. I cannot wait to become a physical therapist, getting my Doctorate degree, and make my grandparents proud. With my doctorate in physical therapy, I plan to become a physical therapist and help people through movement and strengthening. In my religious community, I volunteer for Islamic Relief. I have been meal packing and box packaging for this amazing organization since 2017. I try and volunteer at mosques whenever I can but I defined should go over there more, especially because of COVID. For my Palestinian community, I try to make a difference by have conversations. Anyone can post an instagram story, but true progress happens at the “dinner table.” I try and talk to people who do not know how it is overseas. Also, how media makes Palestinians seem like the bad guys. Being a Palestinian Muslim means everything to me. I am very proud and prideful to be a Palestinian American. My grandparents were refugees in Puerto Rico for two years when word was going around that Israel is being supported by America and are sending weapons, before moving to the United States and becoming citizens. So many people try and erase Palestine and it’s history. But I know that with education and the right discussions we can stop that from happening. Whether that be from protests or marches, or just talking to an ignorant person at work, we can educate the world. Growing up, I used to be scared to tell people I’m Palestinian because they would automatically call me “anti-semitic.” But as I entered high school, I realized that’s what the Israeli Government wants. They want me to just say I am American and leave it at that. They do not want the world to know what is really going on overseas. The Israeli government is ethnically cleansing Palestine and claims anyone who speaks against them is racist. It is truly disgusting and makes me sick to my stomach. What is the solution to this? The solution is to make ourselves known. So many do not know the truth because they have never spoke to a Palestinian, only referring to them as what they see in bias media outlets. We can make ourselves known by working and organizing events. Supporting Palestinian artists, students, entrepreneurs, etc.! Giving Palestinians a Platform to use their voice and make a difference. Once again, I am so proud to be Palestinian and Muslim. My culture is beautiful:food, dances,gatherings, decorating, holidays, community and family.