I feel the stares going down my back as the teacher talks about 9/11. “She’s Muslim, she's the bomb!” I would sit alone when eating my lunch. I would be excited to go home, as my little sister was the only person I could talk to. But when I was eight, she died because the hospital staff gave her double her dosage. She was gone forever and I felt alone. I would relive the memories of all of the good moments in my life with her. I would sit alone reading books, doing homework, imagining she was still here next to me, humming. She would be telling me “You got this baji”. It is because of my sister that I learned that I can't start the next chapter of my life if I keep reliving the past ones. When I came home I would hear the guests saying to my parents “Why does she study so much if she's going to be a housewife anyway?”. My parents ignored them and encouraged me telling me every day that I could and that I will achieve all my goals if I truly put the hard work in. I wanted to prove to everyone that I wasn't just some Pakistani terrorist, I wasn't just a girl destined to be someone's wife, I wasn't just the sad girl whose little sister died, but I am a future pediatrician. A person with big dreams to help others, and to show others the kindness and love that my sister and my parents have taught me. However as life goes on, I see that it's not just that easy to become a pediatrician, or even to go to college, as I have to try harder than anyone else just because I am a Muslim, and an immigrant. I am a first-generation student, who has dreams and desires to prove them wrong. To show the world, the potential that I have, and that I'm not what they label me as. I'm worthy of education, and I don't want any financial issues to cause me to lose all the hard work that I put in. Although I'm still a junior, I think about whether or not I will be able to afford to attend college every single day, as I don't want to burden my parents as they have been through enough pain. Just during the pandemic, my family has been through a lot of hardships as my parents have been unemployed after my entire family and I got Covid-19. They take care of my grandparents who have been affected by Covid tremendously. They have been the best and most supportive parents, encouraging me to achieve all my goals and to do better than they have in life, and I can never put them in the position where they could become bankrupt or in debt because of me. If I win this scholarship, the money would directly be put towards my future college education, and to becoming a pediatrician.

I feel the stares going down my back as the teacher talks about 9/11. “She’s Muslim, she's the bomb!” I would sit alone when eating my lunch. I would be excited to go home, as my little sister was the only person I could talk to. But when I was eight, she died because the hospital staff gave her double her dosage. She was gone forever and I felt alone. I would relive the memories of all of the good moments in my life with her. I would sit alone reading books, doing homework, imagining she was still here next to me, humming. She would be telling me “You got this baji”. It is because of my sister that I learned that I can't start the next chapter of my life if I keep reliving the past ones. Even then, when I came home I would hear the guests saying to my parents “Why does she study so much if she's going to be a housewife anyway?”. My parents ignored them and encouraged me telling me every day that I could and that I will achieve all my goals if I truly put the hard work in. I wanted to prove to everyone that I wasn't just some Pakistani terrorist, I wasn't just a girl destined to be someone's wife, I wasn't just the sad girl whose little sister died, but I am a future pediatrician. A person with big dreams to help others, and to show others the kindness and love that my sister and my parents have taught me. However as life goes on, I see that it's not just that easy to become a pediatrician, or even to go to college, as I have to try harder than anyone else just because I am a Muslim, and an immigrant. I am a first-generation student, who has dreams and desires to prove them wrong. To show the world, the potential that I have, and that I'm not what they label me as. I'm worthy of education, and I don't want any financial issues to cause me to lose all the hard work that I put in. Currently, I have put in the hard work. I am currently in the elite Science Research Program at my school, President of Science Olympiad for the 2021-2022 school year, an ambassador for an internship program called Align Us, and much more. Although I'm still a junior, I think about whether or not I will be able to afford to attend college every single day, as I don't want to burden my parents as they have been through enough pain. Just during the pandemic, my family has been through a lot of hardships as my parents have been unemployed after my entire family and I got Covid-19. They take care of my grandparents who have been affected by Covid tremendously. They have been the best and most supportive parents, encouraging me to achieve all my goals and to do better than they have in life, and I can never put them in the position where they could become bankrupt or in debt because of me. If I win this scholarship, the money would directly be put towards my future college education, and to becoming a pediatrician.

I feel the stares going down my back as the teacher talks about 9/11. “She’s Muslim, she's the bomb!” I would sit alone when eating my lunch. I would be excited to go home, as my little sister was the only person I could talk to. But when I was eight, she died because the hospital staff gave her double her dosage. She was gone forever and I felt alone. I would relive the memories of all of the good moments in my life with her. I would sit alone reading books, doing homework, imagining she was still here next to me, humming. She would be telling me “You got this baji”. It is because of my sister that I learned that I can't start the next chapter of my life if I keep reliving the past ones. Even then, when I came home I would hear the guests saying to my parents “Why does she study so much if she's going to be a housewife anyway?”. My parents ignored them and encouraged me telling me every day that I could and that I will achieve all my goals if I truly put the hard work in. I wanted to prove to everyone that I wasn't just some Pakistani terrorist, I wasn't just a girl destined to be someone's wife, I wasn't just the sad girl whose little sister died, but I am a future pediatrician. A person with big dreams to help others, and to show others the kindness and love that my sister and my parents have taught me. However as life goes on, I see that it's not just that easy to become a pediatrician, or even to go to college, as I have to try harder than anyone else just because I am a Muslim, and an immigrant. I am a first-generation student, who has dreams and desires to prove them wrong. To show the world, the potential that I have, and that I'm not what they label me as. I'm worthy of education, and I don't want any financial issues to cause me to lose all the hard work that I put in. Although I'm still a junior, I think about whether or not I will be able to afford to attend college every single day, as I don't want to burden my parents as they have been through enough pain. Just during the pandemic, my family has been through a lot of hardships as my parents have been unemployed after my entire family and I got Covid-19. They take care of my grandparents who have been affected by Covid tremendously. They have been the best and most supportive parents, encouraging me to achieve all my goals and to do better than they have in life, and I can never put them in the position where they could become bankrupt or in debt because of me. If I win this scholarship, the money would directly be put towards my future college education, and to becoming a pediatrician.