**Option 3: Purpose & Connection** The relationships in my life have shaped nearly every aspect of who I am, from the way I approach leadership and service to the kind of physician and person I hope to become in the future. Over time, I have realized that human connection is not just an important part of life; it is often what allows people to heal, grow, and persevere through difficult experiences. Because of this, relationships play a central role in both my personal values and my long-term professional goals. Growing up in a close-knit Palestinian and Muslim family taught me the importance of community from a young age. I was raised in an environment where people consistently showed up for one another, whether through celebrations, hardships, or everyday moments. I learned that support is not always expressed through grand gestures. Sometimes it is simply being present, listening, or reminding someone they are not alone. Those values shaped the way I approach relationships today because they taught me that meaningful connection is built through trust, empathy, and consistency. As I grew older, I began to understand how deeply relationships influence emotional well-being and personal growth. During periods when I struggled with stress and mental health challenges, the people who made the greatest difference in my life were not necessarily those who had all the answers, but those who created space for honesty and understanding. Those experiences changed the way I interact with others because they taught me the importance of listening without judgment and showing compassion even when someone’s struggles are not immediately visible. My leadership experiences further strengthened my understanding of human connection. As President of the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Florida, one of my biggest goals was creating a sense of belonging for students on campus. I wanted people to feel supported academically, socially, and emotionally, especially students who may have felt isolated or misunderstood. Through organizing events, mentoring students, and advocating for inclusivity, I saw how powerful community can be in helping people feel safe and valued. One experience that especially impacted me occurred during a campus prayer gathering I organized that was disrupted by individuals harassing Muslim students. Although the situation was frightening, what stayed with me most was the way students came together afterward to support one another. In the days following the incident, I realized that leadership is deeply rooted in relationships and trust. People look toward those they feel connected to during moments of uncertainty, and being able to provide reassurance and support became one of the most meaningful responsibilities I have ever carried. Relationships also play a major role in my professional goals because medicine is fundamentally built on human connection. While science and clinical knowledge are essential, I believe some of the most impactful aspects of healthcare come from compassion, communication, and trust between physicians and patients. Through my volunteer experiences in food insecurity initiatives and mental health advocacy, I have seen how many people simply want to feel heard and respected, especially during vulnerable moments in their lives. In the future, I hope to become a physician who prioritizes those connections with patients and communities. I want people to feel comfortable expressing concerns, asking questions, and trusting that they will be treated with dignity regardless of their background. I also hope to continue building relationships within underserved communities through outreach, advocacy, and mentorship because meaningful change often begins when people feel genuinely supported. Ultimately, relationships shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. They influence how we respond to hardship, how we grow as individuals, and how we care for others. My experiences taught me that human connection has the power to create healing, resilience, and community, and those are values I hope to carry with me throughout every aspect of my future career and personal life.

My experiences with mental health have significantly shaped the way I view myself, my relationships, and the kind of future I hope to build through medicine and community advocacy. Over time, I have come to understand that mental health affects every aspect of a person’s life, yet it is still surrounded by stigma in many communities, including my own. Navigating personal challenges with mental health while also working in spaces focused on mental health advocacy taught me the importance of empathy, emotional safety, and honest conversations surrounding struggles that people often feel pressured to hide. For a long time, I viewed mental health struggles as something that should be handled privately. In many cultural communities, emotional hardship is often minimized or misunderstood, which can make people feel isolated even when they are surrounded by others. I learned firsthand how easy it can be to suppress stress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion while continuing to meet expectations academically and socially. From the outside, everything may appear fine, but internally, people can feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or emotionally drained. That realization changed the way I understand the world because it made me recognize how many people are silently carrying burdens others cannot see. One of the most meaningful experiences in my journey was serving as an Executive Board Member for the Muslim Families and Children’s Association, where I helped organize conferences and initiatives focused on mental health awareness within Muslim communities. Through these events, we created spaces for conversations surrounding anxiety, emotional well-being, and access to mental health resources. While working on these initiatives, I began reflecting more deeply on my own experiences and realized how powerful it can be for people to simply feel heard without fear of judgment. This work changed my relationships as well. I became more intentional about checking in on people, listening without immediately trying to “fix” their problems, and creating space for honesty within my friendships and family relationships. I learned that support does not always come from having the perfect advice; sometimes it comes from making someone feel less alone. My experiences also taught me the importance of vulnerability and asking for support when needed instead of believing strength means handling everything independently. Mental health has also deeply influenced my career aspirations. Through both personal experiences and advocacy work, I realized that healthcare is not only about treating physical illness. Emotional well-being, cultural understanding, and compassionate communication are equally important in helping patients heal. These experiences strengthened my desire to pursue medicine because I want to become a physician who understands that patients carry invisible struggles alongside physical symptoms. I hope to help create healthcare environments where patients feel safe, respected, and genuinely listened to, especially individuals from communities where mental health is heavily stigmatized or misunderstood. As someone who understands how difficult it can be to navigate emotional struggles while trying to meet expectations, I want to advocate for more compassionate and culturally responsive care within healthcare settings. Ultimately, my journey with mental health taught me that vulnerability is not weakness and that healing often begins when people feel safe enough to be honest about what they are experiencing. It shaped my understanding of the world by showing me how many people silently struggle while still trying to carry responsibilities, support others, and move forward. Because of this, I hope to spend my future career helping people feel seen, heard, and supported not only as patients, but as human beings.

I chose to pursue a career in the medical field because I have always been drawn to the intersection of science, service, and human connection. While I genuinely enjoy learning about biology, health, and the complexity of the human body, what ultimately solidified my decision to pursue medicine were the experiences that showed me how deeply healthcare impacts people’s lives beyond physical illness alone. Through community service, leadership, and advocacy, I realized that medicine gives me the opportunity not only to treat patients, but also to support people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. As a Palestinian-American Muslim woman pursuing a career in STEM, I have also become deeply aware of the importance of representation within healthcare and science. Growing up, I rarely saw physicians or healthcare professionals who shared my background and experiences. That absence motivated me to pursue medicine not only for myself, but also for the communities I hope to serve in the future. I want patients from underserved and minority communities to feel seen, respected, and understood within healthcare settings. My passion for medicine grew significantly through my volunteer experiences within the Tampa Bay community. While volunteering with organizations addressing food insecurity, I saw firsthand how social and economic barriers shape health outcomes. I met families struggling to access nutritious food, healthcare, transportation, and stable resources. Seeing children stand in long lines with their parents waiting for food made me realize that many health disparities begin long before patients enter hospitals or clinics. These experiences taught me that healthcare is deeply connected to larger social issues, and they inspired me to pursue a career where I could advocate for underserved populations while helping improve quality of life. In addition to food insecurity initiatives, my involvement with the Muslim Families and Children’s Association strengthened my interest in healthcare and community advocacy. As an Executive Board Member, I helped organize conferences focused on mental health awareness within Muslim communities. Through this work, I saw how cultural stigma and lack of access to supportive resources often prevent people from seeking help. At the same time, I was navigating challenges with my own mental health, which made this experience especially meaningful to me. It taught me the importance of empathy, cultural understanding, and creating spaces where people feel safe asking for support. This scholarship would help me continue pursuing my education while allowing me to dedicate more time to service, leadership, and academic growth as I prepare for a career in medicine. The journey toward becoming a physician requires years of education, financial commitment, and perseverance, and scholarships like this help reduce barriers for students striving to create meaningful impact within their communities. More importantly, this scholarship would support my goal of using my education to advocate for underserved populations through medicine, public health, and community outreach. In the future, I hope to become a physician who combines clinical care with advocacy by addressing healthcare disparities and improving access to compassionate, culturally responsive care. I want to use both science and service to make patients feel heard, valued, and supported regardless of their background. Ultimately, I chose a path in STEM because I believe medicine has the power to change lives not only through treatment, but through empathy, education, and advocacy. Through my future career, I hope to honor the support I have received by giving back to communities and helping others feel cared for during moments they need it most.

My decision to pursue a career in medicine came from a combination of personal experiences, community involvement, and a growing understanding of how deeply healthcare impacts every aspect of a person’s life. Over time, I realized that what drew me most to medicine was not only the science behind it, but also the opportunity to advocate for people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Through volunteering, leadership experiences, and community service, I began to understand that medicine is about far more than treating illness. It is about compassion, trust, education, and helping people feel seen and supported. One of the experiences that most influenced my path toward medicine was my involvement in community outreach and nonprofit work throughout the Tampa Bay area. While volunteering with organizations addressing food insecurity, I saw firsthand how social and economic barriers directly affect health outcomes. I met families who struggled to access nutritious food, healthcare, transportation, and other basic resources. Seeing children wait in long lines with their parents at food pantries deeply impacted me because it showed me how many health disparities begin long before a patient enters a clinic or hospital. These experiences made me want to pursue a career where I could help address not only illness itself, but also the larger systemic issues contributing to poor health within underserved communities. My passion for medicine was further strengthened through my leadership and advocacy experiences. As President of the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Florida, I worked to create a supportive and inclusive environment for students on campus. During my time in this role, a group disrupted a campus prayer gathering I organized and harassed Muslim students while we were praying. Although the experience was frightening, it taught me the importance of remaining calm and advocating for others during moments of fear and uncertainty. In the days that followed, I worked with university leadership, spoke publicly about discrimination affecting our community, and advocated for safer spaces for students. This experience reinforced my desire to enter a profession centered around advocacy, empathy, and service. Additionally, my experiences working with the Muslim Families and Children’s Association helped shape the type of physician I hope to become. Through organizing mental health awareness initiatives and conferences, I saw how stigma and lack of culturally responsive care prevent many individuals from seeking help. At the same time, I was navigating challenges with my own mental health, which made this work especially meaningful to me. It taught me the importance of listening to people without judgment and recognizing that emotional well-being is just as important as physical health. Through my future career in medicine, I hope to make a difference by serving underserved communities and advocating for equitable healthcare access. I want to become a physician who not only provides clinical care, but also understands the social, cultural, and emotional factors affecting patients’ lives. Whether through community outreach, public health initiatives, or direct patient care, I hope to help create a healthcare environment where patients feel respected, understood, and empowered. Ultimately, medicine appeals to me because it combines science, human connection, and service in a way that can create lasting impact. I hope to use my career to advocate for vulnerable populations, improve access to compassionate healthcare, and serve patients with the same empathy and support that inspired me throughout my own journey.

Throughout my experiences volunteering and serving in community organizations, I have realized that nonprofit work creates some of the most meaningful and lasting impact because it focuses on people who are often overlooked or underserved. What draws me most to the nonprofit sector is the ability to directly support communities through advocacy, education, and outreach while addressing issues that are frequently stigmatized or ignored. Through my work in mental health advocacy, food insecurity initiatives, and student leadership, I have seen how community-centered organizations can profoundly change people’s lives by making them feel supported, heard, and valued. One of the experiences that most shaped my passion for nonprofit work was serving as an Executive Board Member for the Muslim Families and Children’s Association. In this role, I worked with fellow board members to organize conferences and initiatives focused on mental health awareness within Muslim communities. Through these events, we created spaces for open conversations surrounding anxiety, stress, emotional well-being, and access to mental health resources. I quickly realized how deeply stigma can prevent individuals from seeking help, especially within communities where mental health is not always openly discussed. At the same time, I was navigating challenges with my own mental health, which made this work deeply personal to me. While helping create spaces where others felt safe discussing their struggles, I began to understand how powerful compassion and understanding can be. I learned that sometimes the most important thing you can offer someone is the reassurance that they are not alone and that their experiences deserve to be acknowledged without judgment. This experience completely changed my understanding of healthcare and service because it showed me that healing is not only physical, but emotional and social as well. In addition to mental health advocacy, my volunteer experiences addressing food insecurity further strengthened my commitment to nonprofit work. Working with organizations serving families in the Tampa Bay area allowed me to see how strongly health is tied to social and economic conditions. I met families who struggled not only with access to food, but also with healthcare, transportation, and financial stability. Seeing children wait in long lines at food pantries with their parents reminded me how important community support systems are, especially for vulnerable populations. These experiences showed me that nonprofits are uniquely positioned to build trust within communities and address issues that larger systems often fail to adequately support. They provide not only resources, but also dignity, advocacy, and human connection. In the future, I hope to combine my interest in medicine with nonprofit and public health work to improve healthcare access and mental health support for underserved communities. I want to advocate for culturally responsive care and help create environments where individuals feel safe seeking support regardless of their background. Ultimately, I hope my work will create positive impact by helping people feel seen, supported, and empowered. Whether through healthcare, advocacy, or community outreach, I want my career to center around service and creating meaningful change for communities that too often feel unheard.

Growing up Palestinian shaped my understanding of resilience, community, and responsibility from a young age. I was raised in a family that deeply valued education, perseverance, and service to others. Like many Palestinian families, my parents viewed education as an opportunity not only for personal success, but also as a way to create stability and open doors that were not always accessible to previous generations. Because of this, I learned to approach my education with both gratitude and responsibility. Being Palestinian has also made me more aware of the importance of advocacy and standing up for marginalized communities. Throughout my life, I have seen how Palestinians and Muslims are often misunderstood, stereotyped, or forced to defend their identities in ways others may never experience. While these experiences have been difficult at times, they have also strengthened my sense of empathy and my desire to serve others through leadership and medicine. My understanding of responsibility grew significantly during my time as President of the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Florida. One morning, during a prayer gathering I organized on campus, a group of middle-aged men disrupted our prayer to harass us. They spit, yelled, and shouted at me, “Take that towel off your head!” In that moment, I felt genuinely unsafe at my own university. However, as I looked around, I realized other students were looking to me for reassurance and guidance. Although I was scared, I knew I could not allow fear to dictate my response. In the days that followed, I spoke at press conferences, met with university leadership and the board of directors to discuss initiatives that would make campus a safer and more inclusive space for Muslim students, and worked alongside my board to bring awareness to Islamophobia within our own community. We gained both local and international media attention and met with the mayor of Tampa to publicly condemn discrimination and advocate for change. Before this experience, I viewed leadership primarily as building community and organizing events. Afterwards, I realized leadership also means advocating for people during moments when they feel vulnerable, unheard, or unsafe. This experience further strengthened my desire to pursue medicine. Physicians are trusted not only to treat illness, but also to advocate for patients from all backgrounds with compassion and dignity. As someone who understands what it feels like to be unheard or misunderstood, I hope to become a physician who makes patients feel seen, respected, and supported. My experiences as a Palestinian student, community leader, and advocate have taught me the importance of resilience and service, and I hope to carry those values with me throughout my medical career. Through medicine, I hope to honor both my family’s sacrifices and my community’s resilience by dedicating my life to serving others and improving access to compassionate healthcare for underserved populations.

One national and global health issue that I feel especially passionate about is food insecurity and the long-term health disparities that come from lack of access to nutritious food. While hunger is often discussed as an economic problem, I believe it is equally a public health issue because it affects nearly every aspect of a person’s well-being, including physical health, mental health, education, and overall quality of life. More importantly, food insecurity disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalized communities, which highlights the connection between healthcare inequality and systemic discrimination. This issue became especially meaningful to me through my volunteer experiences at food pantries and nonprofit organizations in the Tampa Bay area. During these experiences, I saw how many families relied on food assistance consistently, not just during emergencies. One thing that always stayed with me was seeing children standing in line with their parents waiting for basic necessities. Whenever we saw kids, we would try to give them pastries, snacks, or small toys just to make them smile and make the experience feel a little less stressful. Even though those gestures were small, they reminded me how deeply food insecurity affects people emotionally in addition to physically. What impacted me most was realizing that many of these families were working incredibly hard and still struggling to access healthy food. In many underserved communities, affordable grocery stores and fresh produce are limited, while processed and unhealthy foods are far more accessible. This contributes to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable chronic illnesses. At the same time, people in these communities are often unfairly judged for the health conditions they develop, despite facing barriers that are largely outside of their control. There is a stigma attached to poverty and food assistance that can make people feel ashamed for asking for help, when in reality access to nutritious food should be considered a basic human right. I also care deeply about the discriminatory aspect of this issue because healthcare outcomes are so heavily influenced by socioeconomic status, race, and geographic location. Many communities facing food insecurity have historically experienced systemic neglect, underfunded resources, and reduced access to healthcare and education. As a result, these populations experience worse health outcomes from conditions that are often preventable. Seeing these disparities made me realize that medicine is not only about diagnosing and treating disease, but also about understanding the social determinants that shape a patient’s health long before they enter a clinic. As a future physician, I want to advocate for a healthcare system that recognizes these inequities and works to address them through prevention, education, and community outreach. My experiences volunteering showed me the importance of meeting people where they are and treating every individual with dignity and compassion. Food insecurity is an issue I care deeply about because it reflects larger problems surrounding access, inequality, and public health, and I hope to spend my future career helping create more equitable healthcare for underserved communities.