Landing my first lead role was the most transformative learning experience of my life, as it came with tremendous pressure to be perfect. I became so focused on giving my best work, that I neglected my health, developing vocal nodules. For someone who loves performing, losing control of my voice felt like losing a part of myself. I began vocal and speech therapy, where I learned that the real issue stemmed from how I use my voice everyday, not just singing. Forcing me to unlearn years of unhealthy vocal habits. This is not a linear story with a happy ending full of unicorns, rainbows, and an easy solution. It is a cyclical journey of healing and self-discipline. Even now, more than a year later, I still struggle with the symptoms and limitations of my voice. I have learned that recovery is not about regaining my sound but learning to respect my boundaries and honor my limits while still exploring my artistic freedoms. The journey that once felt like punishment for my stubborn habits has shown me that recovery is really about redefining what resilience means and finding the balance I never knew I needed. However my understanding of storytelling and purpose deepened on October 17, 2023. My family, in Rmeich, Lebanon, was being bombed. Being thousands of miles away, all I was able to do was send them prayers, terrified of losing the people and the place I consider home. As one of the few Arab students in my communities growing up, I struggled to openly appreciate my heritage, or even speak out about it. Watching my family suffer turned my fear and my grief into the spark that pushed me to act instead of staying silent. I established a growing community of students who finally felt seen, reigniting my school’s Middle Eastern Club. We organized fundraisers to support Doctors Without Borders, Palestine Red Crescent Society, and created a space where minorities don't have to pretend. These experiences reshaped how I see performance as not only entertainment, but it is representation, a voice, and the power to make people feel less alone. This courage I found in advocacy is what I bring to every role I take on. Utilizing education as empowerment aren't just actions, they're core to my identity. Igniting the club supported my own growth and helped others appreciate, uplift, and empower minority voices and heritage together. That understanding followed me everywhere, pushing me to pursue performance as a form of advocacy and empowerment. Past significant performances include Paulette Buonafonté from Legally Blonde, and Ensemble in both Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Dave Malloy’s Don't Stop Me, with Korsa Musical Theater Company. Other performances include American Conservatory of Theater’s Youth Cabaret program where I was able to not only gain training and experience, but tell stories from a broad variety. My favorite role was Hermes in Hadestown with the American Conservatory of Theater. Hermes forced me to step into a role that required both strength and restraint as a narrator who guides others while carrying their own quiet weight. It challenged me to find subtlety in storytelling, using tone, stillness, and intention rather than constant movement. Hermes marked the first time I felt fully connected to a character not only as a performer, but as a storyteller responsible for holding the audiences trust. What I love most about performing is that exact connection, something deeply powerful about stepping into someone else's story while still bringing your own lived experiences into the work. Performing is one of the few spaces where vulnerability becomes strength, where telling the truth no matter how uncomfortable can actually bring people together. A dream role I would be honored to even audition for would be Grace in Don’t Stop Me by Dave Malloy. The musical follows high school students competing in a dystopian dance-a-thon, where each character is driven by intense pressure to succeed. I was in the ensemble of the 2024 performance rendition with Youth Musical Theater Company, I had the opportunity to understudy both Grace and Harper, but I found myself especially fascinated by Grace. Stepping into her perspective allowed me to explore a level of vulnerability that felt deeply personal because it reflects the kind of raw, honest storytelling I hope to bring to my work as a performer. In the future, I plan to continue my training at Marymount Manhattan College’s BFA Musical Theatre program to further develop my abilities in a sustainable and authentic way. I hope to use my artistry to advocate for diverse, genuine portrayal of minorities often misrepresented or erased in today’s media. This scholarship will allow me to continue pursuing performance without compromising my health, my education, or the purpose that drives me to amplify voices and stories that deserve to be seen and heard.

On October 17, 2023, my family, who lives in a village in Rmeich, Lebanon, was being bombed. I felt not only fear, but helplessness. Being thousands of miles away, all I was able to do was send them prayers, terrified of losing the people and the place I consider home. As one of the few Arab students at all of my schools growing up, I often struggled to openly appreciate my heritage, or even speak out about it. Even naming where my family was from felt vulnerable. The news deepened my sense of isolation. Instead of shrinking, I felt something in me shift into determination. Watching my family suffer turned my fear and my grief into the spark that pushed me to act instead of staying silent. That day, I reignited my school's Middle Eastern Club. With a small group of peers, I organized fundraisers to support Doctors Without Borders and the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Together, we raised over $2,000 and began growing a community of students who finally felt seen. I also worked with our school's DEI coordinator to address the microaggressions and racism embedded in the curriculum and school culture. For years, classmates mocked my fathers 'hooked nose,' and confronting that type of racist behavior became part of our club's mission. Advocating for awareness came with challenges and backlash, but leading the club gave me courage and pride to continue. I learned that true growth stems from transforming adversity into purpose. That helping others, advocating and using education as empowerment aren't just actions, they're core to my identity. Restarting the club supported my own growth while helping others appreciate their heritage, uplift minority voices and find empowerment together. Advocating for my heritage taught me that identity isn't something you can hide, it's something you grow into. That understanding followed me everywhere, leadership is not about having answers, but creating belonging when people need it most. That understanding followed me everywhere, pushing me to pursue performance as a form of advocacy and empowerment. After I graduate, I plan to continue my training in a BFA Musical Theatre program to further develop my abilities in a sustainable and healthy way. Long term, I hope to work in both theater and film, while also using my platform to advocate for more diverse and authentic representation, particularly for Middle Eastern voices that are so often misrepresented or erased in today's media. Hoping to create and produce work of my own that centers stories like mine and my communities that are underrepresented.