One challenge I have overcome is dealing with impostor syndrome. I have worked hard to be where I am, but sometimes I feel as though I am not deserving of what I've achieved. I volunteer regularly at an animal shelter, I am in mostly AP classes, and I hold leadership positions in multiple activities at my school. However, sometimes I feel as though I do not belong. Many of my classmates are white, with white parents and grandparents who have lived in America for as long as they can remember. My parents immigrated from Pakistan, and they worked hard to give me the opportunities that I have. They put blood, sweat, and tears into giving me and my sister the life we have today. I have not taken that for granted. I put great effort into making them proud. I want to take advantage of all the opportunities I have, and that takes a lot of time and hard work. I often have to remind myself that my efforts are just as deserving as those of my classmates. I am no less deserving because of my background, and I am absolutely no less capable. If anything, my parents have shown me the value of hard work, effort, and perseverance. Impostor syndrome is a weird thing, and though I know I work hard, I often feel like it is a fluke that I am in high-level classes and hold leadership positions. When I look at my classmates, I sometimes think that they all know exactly what they are doing. I feel as though I am getting by on sheer good luck and that I do not deserve what I've achieved. I have to consistently remind myself that I work hard and that I do deserve to be where I am. My successes are not due to sheer good fortune, and I did work hard for all of my accomplishments. I am not worth any less as a person or as a student simply because I come from a different background. Yes, I look different from my classmates, but I would not trade my culture for anything in the world. It does not make me any less worthy, and if anything, it makes me more aware of the cultures of the world. My parents worked hard to give me a good life, and I make sure I work hard every day to honor their efforts. Thanks to both their diligence and my own, I have accomplishments I can be proud of.

If I could have everyone on Earth read one book, I would choose Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. Reincarnation Blues follows Milo on his journey across lives while he strives to achieve perfection and become a part of the universe. He has limited lives to do so, and his efforts to achieve perfection in his human lives taught me a lot about what it means to be a person. An act of perfection had to be borne of pure love and peace, with absolutely no other motives behind it. While Milo dealt with struggles, both internal and external, he carries the memories of every single one of his ten thousand lives with him. As he struggled time and time again to achieve perfection, he learned more about what perfection meant to the universe. In order to achieve real perfection, Milo had to let go of his anger, hatred, and pain. He had to see past all of the resentment he harbored and really see other people. He had to understand them, regardless of whether or not he liked them, and treat them with kindness and love. He had to be selfless and giving in spite of adverse circumstances. His development as a character taught me about what it means to be human. To be human is to understand and love other humans. I may not like everyone I come across, but I must treat everyone with care and kindness. In spite of the pain I experience, I must carry love in my heart and apply it to everything I do.

I am driven by my desire to know everything. While I know that I cannot possibly know everything there is to know, I am certain that I wish to spend my life trying. My dad has always reminded me that you are never too old to learn new things. I love life and the sheer volume of knowledge that's available to me, and I apply this to the classroom. I am very grateful to have the educational opportunities that I do, and I intend to milk school for all it's worth (even though I'm not much of an early bird). There is simply so much in the world, and I wish to see and understand all of it. My natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge allow me to make the world my classroom and drive me to always keep learning.

The dream version of my future self is an educated, strong, confident woman who isn't afraid to grab life by the shoulders and shake it for all it's worth.

Today, the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action is unconstitutional. The same affirmative action that worked against racial disparities in higher education. Suddenly, it seems that all I have worked for, all I have done in the past few years was for naught. It seems to me that the stress, the tears, the late nights fighting with calculus mean nothing in this moment. While I know in the back of my mind that I should be proud of the time and effort I've put into my education, it seems that there is a beast staring me in the face that wasn't there just hours earlier - a beast in the form of my skin tone and heritage that now make it harder for me to get the education I've dreamed of since I was little. I love being Pakistani. I love my family and their history to the core. But since I was young, I've known that I want a good education from an even better school. Now, that seems further away than ever, and there isn't much I can do to make the Supreme Court justices change their minds. I, of course, do not plan to give up. If there is one thing I know about myself, it is that I am unbelievably determined (sometimes to the point of being downright stubborn). I still have big dreams. I still want to get into an ivy league school. I still want to get a biology degree. I still have dreams of grad school and a master's degree. I still long to see my name preceeded by "Dr." and followed by "PhD." I am going to keep going, damnit, and I need all the help I can get. It has never been easy to get into prestigious schools, and this new ruling makes it so much harder. With the help of your support, I plan to show the Supreme Court that people of color, women in particular, absolutely do belong in academic spaces. I want them to know that we will keep on coming. I want to show my little sister that yes, she absolutely can do anything she sets her mind to. I want to show my mom that she did not raise me to simply accept adversity without a fight. I want to show my dad that all the time he spent telling me I could do anything was not in vain. Most of all, I owe it to myself to give it my best damn effort. But I cannot do it alone. I have, thankfully, been supported by the people around me throughout my life. Now, I need your support in fighting back. The very act of seeking out higher education, as a woman of color, is one of rebellion, and I plan to fight back as long and hard as I can.

Biology is a vast field, and I am but one teenage girl, but that's a mighty hopeless way of thinking. The world is full of a whole lot of people, and everyone's little hopes and dreams can come together to make a big difference. I know that everyone, big or small, has a chance to impact the world in a special, individual way. With a degree in a biology field, I intend to change the world. That may sound ambitious, but I know I can do it, especially with every bit of help I can get. I intend to enter a field that focuses heavily on laboratory-based research. I have a strong interest in cellular biology, and I'm fascinated by the field. I also greatly enjoy lab work in class, so I think the field sounds perfect for me. I hope to enter the field of cancer research and make a difference. Again, ambitious, I know, but I think every little bit of hope and ambition makes a difference in the world. Given the opportunity to enter a field that has boundless room for growth and knowledge, I feel that I can put my drive and determination to work. STEAM fields have interested me since I was a little girl, and I'm excited to take that interest and fascination and put it to work in a lab. Ever since I was young, I've been a curious girl. Every little kid wants to know more about the great big world around them, but I've always asked questions that go deeper. Frankly, I may have been a nuisance as a child for all the questions I asked all of the time, but I'm certain that that same curiosity and thirst for knowledge is what makes me who I am. STEAM fields provide a vast amount of captivating topics, and I've always loved reading and hearing about all there is to learn. I love the extensive knowledge that an education in a STEAM-based field can offer, especially since most STEAM fields are connected to one another in some way. The captivating topics paired with the fascinating content both make the sciences so intriguing to me, and I can't wait to pursue higher education in a STEAM-centered field. Overall, I'm driven and hopeful. I have a very bright outlook on the world and its future, and I'm excited for what the future holds. With the help of people, especially scientists, around the world, I know we can all make it a better place. With my determination and interest in STEAM, I intend to be a central part of this change. I know we, as a society, can always do better. With your help, I know I can. Thank you for your consideration.

As I type this, I am typing with dark blue hands, and I vaguely resemble a smurf with a bad spray tan. I am also typing as quickly as I can possibly type for fear of staining my keyboard. A few weeks ago, I decided that I was not a fan of several items in my closet. In a last-ditch effort to minimize waste and to encourage myself to wear those garments more often, I thought that dyeing them would be a low-effort, easy way to rehaul them and make them more wearable. I was sorely wrong. After weeks of carefully choosing a color, and then spending a few more weeks waiting for the package to arrive in the mail with the dye, it seems as though I've made quite the choice, and not necessarily a good one. There are clothes sitting in my sink, soaking in navy blue dye as I type this out, and I fear that I've made a truly fatal mistake. The sink is already stained blue (which my mom will not be happy about at all), the walls are covered in blue splash marks from dumping the clothes in (which, again, my mom will not be happy about), the shirt I'm wearing is, unintentionally, much blue-er than I had hoped (surprisingly enough, I did actually plan for this, and am wearing a ratty old shirt), and my hands look like a smurf got a bad tan (this, unfortunately, I did not plan for). My fingernails are, I fear, permanently blue until they grow out, and my resolve has been significantly worn down. Now, I am far less concerned with my attempt at sustainability, and with every minute that the dye sits in the sink, I grow more and more concerned that my elbows simply will not have the grease to scrub the blue out of the porcelain. I hope my sister doesn't mind our shared bathroom having a bright blue sink. Having a blue sink really isn't that bad. One could even consider it an odd design choice. The problem here lies in that the sink is not completely blue, nor are the blue portions dyed evenly. A blue sink might be weird, but a blotchy tie-dye sink is a bajillion times worse. I also hope my teachers don't mind me having bright blue hands. I am not looking forward to going to school on Monday to take my midterms with bright blue hands, nor am I looking forward to explaining why, exactly, my hands resemble ripe blueberries. I am especially dreading the cleanup that will ensue when the clothes are done being dyed. Wish me luck.