'You have nothing to fear except those who fear you.' This is the line of thinking my father begged my brothers and me to follow since we were little. Being what felt like the only Muslims in the cookie-cutter slice of Americana that was our small suburban town, it was hard to go against his logic. People fear what they don't understand, and we were sure our sheltered neighbors and peers wouldn't understand us if we shared our practices with them. So for that reason, my mother and I aren't allowed to wear hijabs and my brothers and I can't pray at school. We almost never correct people on how to pronounce our family name too, because why make it harder for them, right? For a while, I thought so. Better safe than sorry, I supposed. But in my heart, it felt horribly wrong. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life hiding something I'm so proud of. Plus, it wouldn't do either side any good not to share it. Why assume the worst of people when they could learn so much? When WE could learn so much from sharing the beauty of Islam and breaking down barriers. I firmly believe that there is never a reason not to learn. This is the line of thinking I choose to follow. Learning about and dissecting different life experiences in my English and History classes have inspired me not only to seek out knowledge of these other cultures, but to share my own with whoever is willing to listen. Though school has helped, the crux of my passion lies in my experience as a Muslim. Being who I am and living where I do to some may seem like a struggle- and there are moments where it really is. However, I've taught myself to turn this struggle into an opportunity. I have grown to see ignorance not as something to fear, but something to improve. Ignorance is rooted in fear after all, and if I can turn someone's fear of Islam into interest and understanding, then I see it as one more person out there who will fight for the greater acceptance of our community. Having been on the misunderstood side, I've made it my mission to create a community where we can forget 'sides' altogether. To accomplish this, I aim to pursue journalism and law. I feel that this path is one where being open and curious is crucial. Journalism educates the ignorant, and law aims to understand those who could be misunderstood. You can't do either if you're unwilling to listen, and that's what we need more of. Willingness to listen. I will forever be thankful for everything Islam has given me. What I'll be most thankful for though is the drive it gave me. Existing in a world as polarized as today's makes being Muslim challenging. It's the unfortunate truth. People will judge and people will act on those judgments. What we can do and what we should do is use that as fuel to better ourselves and educate those who can't see that we can. I excel in school because I want to amplify my voice. This scholarship will help me do that by contributing to my tuition and getting me closer to all the places where I long to share my voice and experience. Being Muslim has made curiosity the core of my personality, and I hope to foster that for both myself and others with the help of this scholarship.