I am majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at Loyola University Chicago. InshAllah, I will obtain my degree in 2025. I am passionate about learning how the brain works. God willing, I will go into research so that I am able to discover new ways in which to help people. Neuroscience is a fast growing field, in both importance and capacity. The need for new discoveries on how to prevent and treat problems is growing. In Islam, the education of women and girls is stressed immensely. The Holy Prophet placed great value on the education and moral training of women and girls. It is important for me to seek higher education in order to follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet, as well as to better my mind and person. With a higher education, one can further understand the world in which we are and how to better it. I hope to leave a positive impact on the world around me. I have been volunteering in my mosque since the age of 7, since 2010. I have packed food with my mosque through the organization Feed My Starving Children. I, along with other young women in my mosque, have packed backpacks full of school supplies for young children in lower class. By doing so, I have enabled other young children to further their education and improved their school experience. I have also volunteered at a hospital for 3 years. There I cared for elderly patients, assisted nurses in their tasks, and shadowed nurses. From a young age I have been passionate about my education, and helping others further their education. In elementary school, I organized a book exchange for the children in my neighborhood, so that they would have new reading material to keep them engaged throughout the summer. Throughout my childhood, I have volunteered at food pantries and clothing drives whenever the opportunity presented itself. I am passionate about helping my community in any way that I possibly can. Being a Pakistani American Muslim is a large part of my identity. I was born and raised in the U.S., but grew up with my parents bringing Pakistani, specifically Pathan, culture into our household. I am grateful that my parents did not shy away from teaching my siblings and I about where they came from and our culture. I am also very grateful that I was raised as a Muslim. Growing up, religion has always been integrated into my life. Going to mosque as often as we could helped me to appreciate being born into such a beautiful religion. In school, learning to balance being Pakistani Muslim and an American student was difficult at first. From a young age I felt isolated from my peers, as we did not share a lot of the same experiences and our cultures at home were so different. However, as I’ve grown up, I’ve learned to value the differences that my culture and religion give to me, and to not shy away from the discussions that classmates may want to have about both my religion and my culture.