"It's okay to be vulnerable." This was something that volunteering at the hospital taught me. At my local hospital, I worked as a greeter, assisting wheelchair-bound patients, directing family members, and, most importantly, ensuring the safe entry of people into the hospital. While these responsibilities required social skills, I discovered that the true bond between volunteers and families is strengthened when a vulnerability is present. As I stood in my usual spot near the scanning machines, I waited until another individual had trouble scanning their ID paper so I could assist them. It was a simple task, yet many struggled to align the barcode with the scanner. Often, people weren't aware of its use and would walk directly into the mechanical doors, expecting them to open. The lady at the front desk asked me to escort an elderly Indian man to the room where his wife was assigned. "Do you speak Hindi?" he asked. I stared at him blankly. I am of Pakistani origin, and while I can understand Hindi due to its similarity to Urdu, I knew I couldn't say anything beyond two sentences. Nevertheless, I chose to be honest and replied with a simple "no." As we walked side by side towards the elevator, I felt compelled to mention that I did understand Hindi, hoping to alleviate any concerns he might have had about being misunderstood. To my surprise, he began a conversation where he talked about where he and I were from. Along with a few words in Hindi, he started to discuss his situation. I felt that this was a moment where he and I both opened up and felt vulnerable. When we reached the floor, we tried to find the room number, and he thanked me wholeheartedly. While this instance lasted only 15 minutes, it was a profound experience that unfolded within an atmosphere of vulnerability. As I engaged with patients and listened to their experiences, I realized the importance of breaking down emotional barriers and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Through my interactions with patients and families, I discovered the strength and beauty that can emerge from embracing vulnerability. It reminded me that vulnerability is not something to be feared or hidden but rather a fundamental part of the human experience. As a volunteer, you have the responsibility to make tasks and burdens easier for everyone around you. I hope to carry this learning experience into my future relationships and endeavors.

As a young Muslim, I have always attended Saturday classes at the mosque and volunteered at the mosque fundraiser every year. These events were organized by my parents to help me gain more knowledge of Islam. While I have never associated my Muslim identity with my academic circumstances, I have always found myself relying on God's will when facing difficult tasks or exams. It is common for young Muslims to humorously mention how we recite a dua (prayer) before exams, yet in reality, it sets us apart. My trust in God and seeking spiritual prayers for academic success demonstrate the significant influence of Islam in various facets of my life. I hope to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner and eventually open my own clinic. As someone who was raised in a South Asian household, I find the emphasis on mental health to be important. While the lack of mental health awareness may not be associated with Islam, many Muslims disregard mental health within their community. As a TikTok and social media user, I often come across instances where Muslims disregard people's mental health through insults, mean comments, and more. These situations frequently arise during religious debates or discussions regarding topics such as the hijab or different sects within Islam. While I do not hold individuals entirely responsible, their upbringing and environment have undoubtedly influenced their actions. Hence, I believe there should be more Muslims specializing in the psychiatric field to help diminish these behaviors and raise awareness of mental health. Similarly, many Islamic marriages that are on the brink of falling apart are not likely to be resolved by a Sheikh, but by therapists instead. Being a Sheikh is specialized in Islamic knowledge, they may not know how to address emotional and psychological issues within a marriage. Furthermore, working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner is a deeply fulfilling and charitable profession that allows me to make a significant impact on people's lives, potentially even saving them. I wholeheartedly believe that one's mental health can impact their religious journey. As stated in the Quran, "Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness" [Al-Ra’d 13:11]. I believe winning this scholarship will provide economic assistance in completing my bachelor's degree in nursing. As a young Muslim woman, my parents have taken on the responsibility of paying for my college tuition. However, I hope to relieve them of the burden of long-term loans that may impact their lives.

Sisterhood, amusing storyline, Kendrick Lamar and a rush of adrenaline is what I got from the 'Bad Blood' music video from Taylor Swift's '1989' album. As I watched the music video I had forgotten to enjoy the song as I was so invested in the visuals and storyline. Being a 3rd grader I was repeatedly surprised when a new aspiring model or actress popped up on the screen in Taylor's music video. It felt revolutionary to see my favorite female models and artists all collaborate in one music video to display a storyline. A storyline in which each woman had their own fighting ability and a really cool codename. As a female who loves seeing empowerment, it was amusing to see Taylor Swift's vision in inviting various models and artists to help produce the music video. I have always categorized Taylor's songs to be about a country or teenage love but the song Bad Blood became a gem in the 1989 album to which I truly became a Swifty. The song presented a different type of music style compared to Taylor's past songs. Within 10 seconds of the song Kendrick Lamar, a popular artist, began to rap which I found to be an amazing addition to Taylor's music. The lyrics of the song conveyed bad blood which is a normal circumstance everyone experiences in life. Instead of conveying sadness through the lyrics and music, the beats and visuals of the video give the viewer an upbeat feeling toward the situation. One can feel more established on having bad blood with someone, and their boundaries through these lyrics. To this day I enjoy the song just as much as it was released in 2014. Watching the music video gives the same surprising and similar adrenaline rush as before. As an artistic person, I can commend Taylor's visions and ideas in her song Bad Blood. The style of the music video had given dark, feminine empowerment vibes that I can repeatedly watch. It was a song that spoke loudly through its lyrics but intrigued the viewers through the visuals. Bad Blood was a song in which Taylor Swift went a step further to incorporate various models and artists in her video to which many Swifties can gush over. A reunion of inspiring women we look up to in one video, is something that truly made Bad Blood to be different from the ‘1989’ album.

As a graduating high school student I would like to become a nurse practitioner in the field of psychology. My close friend of 6 years was addicted to weed to the extent it had impacted her life. While I was oblivious to the negative signs, I remember feeling confused and guilty to hear she wasn't doing well. I remember being the age of 14 when I had gotten the news that she was admitted to a teen rehabilitation program. To my relief, I came to learn a teen rehabilitation program provided support for teens' well-being, utilizing the study of the brain and human behavior. This increased my awareness of psychology and I decided to take a college-level psychology class during my spring semester of high school. The class introduced me to different types of therapy, about human behavior which increased the importance of mental health in my eyes. Motivated by the college class, and my friend's circumstances, I started volunteering at Long Island Jewish Hospital which introduced me to the hospital environment. Being a greeter I began to create relationships and strive to help individuals through activities such as wheelchair patients, escorting loved ones and even giving directions. This experience provided me with the ability to gain characteristics of sympathy, and attentiveness toward people in need. I believe these characteristics are vital to become a nurse. The field of nursing consists of hard work and dedication toward providing medical aid and services for patients. Nurses overall play an important role in healthcare whether it be through checking patients' vitals, stitching wounds to even recording patients' medical history. All of which provide a support system for individuals in hospitals and even the healthcare community. My desire to become a nurse stems from how large and flexible the career can be. Nursing consists of many different areas of study, such as dermatology, pediatrics, clinical, surgical, etc. This opens the floor to options for individuals depending on their interests. To further enhance my nursing career, I can work to get higher positions as a nurse practitioner. The position of nurse practitioner interests me due to its independence and flexiblity in helping patients. Being a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I feel I can help patients with their mental health, and provide services for them to live a better life. I can further take my study and education as a nurse practitioner to open my practice in the future and independently extend my services.

Being a young girl I often wondered about my passion or goal in life especially being someone who was sheltered at a young age. If someone were to inquire about my hobbies, I would repeatedly mention drawing and physical sports. But to be honest drawing wasn't something I did daily on my own and physical sports only occurred in school. These attributes were something I always found to be diminished due to the nature of my upbringing. Growing up human behaviors and the brain had always been interesting at a young age. However, my distinct attraction to human behaviors started at a young age due to the heavy narcissism and toxicity during my childhood. The behaviors and reactions of narcissistic individuals became something I would identify with quickly due to encountering it daily. Being the age of 10 and searching up the symptoms of narcissism to see whether I was a victim might be a dark topic for many. Yet I find it empowering and unique that I slowly at a young age educated myself on these topics and found the ability to identify the mental games I was experiencing. Hence growing up I found myself to be someone who would observe people's behaviors, reactions etc. I would often make connections between how people acted their upbringing, etc. I continued my interest in the brain and human behaviors by enrolling in my first psychology 101 class where I was ready to further learn about human behaviors and unwind from my childhood experiences. This was only the first step towards my goal to help back to the community, as I plan to become a psychological nurse practitioner. I find that by working and understanding the topic of the brain and human behavior, I can help others by investing myself in this profession. As a young kid, I would have hoped to have an individual to talk to and unwind from the narcissistic abuse I encountered daily. Therefore the ability to open my clinic and become a psychiatric nurse will help me be able to help others mentally and physically. I hope to embody a safe place for many and help clients unwind from their trauma through a professional service. This goal of mine is something I start very early by investing my time as a volunteer n hospitals, talking to my friends about their problems and even learning to establish boundaries to put my mental health first.

My major will be nursing, specifically in the field of psychology. Through studying this I aspire to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner and open my own practice. By having my own clinic I will be able to help many who suffer from mental health and become a safe space for many individuals. The nature of my family and the state of the many Muslims inspire me to choose to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Growing up, derogatory treatment of women was normalized in my community and family. I had been exposed to women in my family, experience narcissistic abuse on a daily. This treatment was later translated into the way many of these women raised their kids, including me. Being able to identify these behaviors in my family, inspired me to learn and understand the narcissistic and mental nature of what I had experienced. I felt inspired to work in the field of psychology hoping to better understand the behavior of the mind. While many Muslims in the community will shamefully deny this, mental health and derogatory perception of women is prominent in the community, especially on apps like tik tok amongst the younger generation. Where one would hope this treatment would stop from the older generation, the younger generation may be continuing the cycle. Hence I find the field of psychiatric nursing will help me and others better understand the perception and behaviors of these individuals and further stop the harmful cycle. I seek higher education to honor the efforts of my grandfather who moved to America from Pakistan My grandfather had left Pakistan, a place in which he was a well-known successful veterinarian. He had his own office, driver, house and was very successful in his field. He would often receive calls from his tribal people to which they would inquire about issues with their livestock, which continued when he moved to America. When arriving in the U.S., my father and his five siblings were forced to work while going to school. My grandfather similarly worked at a gas station, where he mentioned the unfortunate feeling he had when he first received a quarter-cent tip. It opened his eyes to how his life changed from being a veterinarian to pumping gas in New York. While these stories are from the past they are often remembered, for the privileges I have today. Therefore, I find it to be rewarding and right for me to seek the opportunity of higher education in the country my family worked so hard to settle in. Due to my passion for working in the health field, I have volunteered at my local hospital as a greeter. Having this position I would help many visitors, patients and others safely and comfortably enter the hospital, by giving directions, wheeling wheelchair patients and even greeting them as they enter the hospital. Similarly, amongst the Muslim community, I would make treats for my childhood mosque for their yearly fundraiser. The mosque was run by my uncle, so I would often stand at the tables and sell the goods myself. As someone who was raised Muslim and often encouraged to become a better one, I find it to be an identity I hold onto when navigating the real world. Times, when I recite the small dua before a difficult exam or check the food label before buying a snack, is when I carry the elements of being a Muslim. After going to Umrah in 2023, I find that being Muslim at birth is a privilege, as we were taught at a young age how to successfully navigate this life.