My purpose, my passion. By pursuing a major in Biology and on the Pre-Med track, I have (inshallah) a goal of eventually becoming a doctor. The field of medicine has always been a fascinating source for me, and I have always been deeply inspired by the amazing work that healthcare professionals do to help others. I am particularly drawn to the idea of using my knowledge and skills to heal those in need and make a real difference in people's lives, for the better. My inspiration for pursuing this career stems from my loved ones who have passed away and are with Allah. Coming from a country like Pakistan where opportunities for so many talented individuals is scarce, I feel incredibly grateful for where I am. I want to honor the memory of my father and dear grandparents, by using my abilities to help others and make the world a better place. Even though, becoming a doctor is a challenging and mentally demanding journey, I believe that my faith will play a crucial role in helping me to overcome the obstacles that I will face. For me, getting a higher education is a crucial step in achieving my career goals. I believe that possesing a strong educational foundation is essential in providing me with the skills and knowledge I need to succeed in my chosen field. It is not just about getting that degree or obtaining the title. I aspire to use my degree to make a positive impact in my community, and to use my skills to help others in need. I am also deeply committed to giving back to my community, and I have made a difference in a number of ways. For example, by volunteering at local hospitals and clinics, helping to care for patients and providing support to healthcare professionals, has really shaped my perspective for the better. Additionally, I have worked with community organizations to raise awareness about important health issues, and to help educate others about the importance of healthy lifestyles. Being a Muslim is a crucial part of my identity, and it has an immense influence on every aspect of my life. For me, Islam is about having a strong faith in Allah, maintaining a good relationship with him, balancing the demands of this world with my religious obligations, and working hard to achieve my goals. Above all, my faith is a source of my undying strength and inspiration, guiding me towards making a positive impact in the world and serving others. With a set commitment to my education, my faith, and my community, I am determined to turn my passions into a reality, and use my knowledge and skills as a doctor to heal and uplift those in need, ultimately leaving a lasting impact and fulfilling my calling to serve others. It is my passion and I will make it my purpose.

I was numb, and did not know how to process it all: his sudden death, the realization that he was gone, and the pain that ignited inside of me. “It never gets easier, you just become courageous.”, the wise words that said to me by my late grandfather. I never quite understood these words until the past two years of my life with the extreme difficulties I faced in my junior year of attending an early college high school amid a pandemic. Due to facing family issues, unfortunately, I had to travel back to my home country of Lahore, Pakistan, and attend school virtually. Balancing the rigorous school work of my junior year while handling family matters and the bonus of an 11-hour time zone difference was extremely painful. Sleep deprivation became a norm, with staying up until 3 AM every day to attend zoom sessions, take tests, do homework, etc. Even with all the challenges I faced, nevertheless, I persisted, but my breaking point came when COVID became too personal. Half of my household had fallen victim to the COVID virus and, my grandfather lost his battle. Regardless of the turmoil of emotions within me, the world seemed to continue as if nothing was wrong. I still had to manage the heavy workload of being part of an early college high school, which was extremely difficult to maneuver. With tears in my eyes and my mind clouded, I attempted to take my first class of the day. The verdict? It was a disaster. I knew I was wasting my time, so I did what I thought was most responsible. I emailed my teachers to let them know to be excused from class. Whenever I felt like I was in a more stable mental state, I would make the most of that granted time and do as many assignments as I could. Then take a break when I knew I could not go on any longer. Indeed, life threw me the biggest curveball, but in my heart, I understood that my grandfather always wanted me to work honorably towards my goals. He was so supportive and I knew that I had to make him proud, which kept me going. These unforeseen circumstances led me to face the most grueling challenges and motivated me to improve for the sake of his wishes. These extreme measures that I faced for over a year took a toll on my mental health but despite the obstacles I faced, I trudged along. I was stuck in the denial phase of grief for a very long time and struggled to move past that. I still am partially in denial but work towards accepting that everything happens for a reason and wanting to get closure, which is a work in progress. All those times I broke down and fell apart but I got up, wiped the tears off my face, and picked up the pieces because I am not done yet. I have so much more that I have left to do with my long-term goal of becoming a doctor and growing as an individual. At times, I have wanted to give up, but then I look back at how far I’ve come. I am prepared and ready to lead myself to success.

A nervous wreck of emotions. “Sania is a group leader, it’s decided”, I was in complete utter shock. Being a leader of anything always made me so nervous. I loved to be part of a team but a leader was never on my agenda. Originating from a Pakistani society, where woman can get extremely criticized for taking upon a leadership position. I would stray away from any position that I would think would draw attention to me. Growing up in a society so drastically different from the United States, any spec of confidence I had was easily washed away with the fear of being criticized. I have trudged on in my life with this hamartia and yet there I was standing in the classroom for the weekly National Honor Society meeting and found myself in this situation. Initially, I was ecstatic but my nerves kicked in and the triggers of self-doubt came into play. But seeing my fellow members' content faces gave a sense of excitement for the amazing service projects we would create and the worry washed away. I straightened my back, took a deep breath and took upon the role that was bestowed upon me. I worked with my team weekly, scheduling meetings, talking one-on-one, etc. I wanted them to feel heard and given importance. Of course, there were times when I felt I may have lacked a leader. I would get so flustered with trying to make sure everything was perfect that I would forget that my team could see me as a nervous wreck. I improved by believing in myself and our service projects were a success! I learned from my mistakes and will keep growing as time progresses. I am not perfect but I want to be real so nevertheless, I persisted.

Obstacles come and go in an individual’s life but some impact you forever. For me, my eternal hindrance was my grandfather’s passing, due to Covid. It was absolutely soul-crushing. I was numb, and I did not know how to process: the realization that he was gone, that stabbing pain, and hopelessness that I felt. Regardless of the turmoil of emotions within me, the world seemed to continue as if nothing was wrong. I still had to deal with the heavy workload of being an early college high school student, which was extremely difficult to maneuver. With tears in my eyes and my mind clouded, I attempted to take my first class of the day. The verdict? It was a disaster. I knew I was wasting my time and the time of my assigned partners. So, I made a responsible decision and emailed my teachers to inform them, so that I could be excused from class. Whenever I felt like I was in a more stable mental state, I would make the most of that granted time and do as many assignments that I could, and take a break when I knew I could not go on any longer. Life threw me the biggest curveball, but in my heart, I understood that my grandfather always wanted me to work diligently, honorably, and ethically. He was so supportive, I had to make him proud, and that is what kept me going. My challenges may have made me vulnerable at times in my life but at the same time, they shaped me into the hard-working, persistent, young woman I am today. I am ready to face the world. I am never afraid because I am confident in myself to come out stronger than before. After all, that is exactly who I am today.

I want to leave a mark; to create a difference in this world. That may sound far-fetched since I’m one person in comparison to the world filled with 7.9 billion people. Regardless of the statistics, I believe that it takes one person to take the first step to revolutionize the world. Furthermore, as someone who wants to become a general surgeon; I wish to save lives and make a positive difference in the medical field as a female doctor. I hope to gain experience not just by reading textbooks or taking notes, but by creating human connections. Originating from a Pakistani society in which women are never acknowledged for their hard work or considered equal in accordance to the men, becoming a doctor is the most ground-shattering step that I can take. I want to be a beacon of hope for all those Pakistani girls that are told they cannot pursue the same careers as the boys. Receiving the tremendous opportunity to attend any of the accredited colleges to pave my way into my future career, will be the first step towards forging a promising future for myself by being a part of the Health Science Honors Program and medical community. I will have this opportunity to volunteer in healthcare services, share a common passion with my peers, focus on credit hours and create those connections. Yes, I want to become a doctor but not just any doctor. To be “Dr.Asim”, someone who takes time to listen to her patient’s needs/concerns, making sure they feel safe and secure. I won’t just be saving a “person”. Instead, saving a man who will be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, watch his grandchildren hit milestones, and grow old with his wife. So many lives are impacted by one person, you save one life and end up preserving many, and the list goes on because saving lives doesn’t end there. For I am the face of the future and will nurture my skills to spread my branches of support to as many people as I can; I will pave my own way and make a difference one person at a time. That is how I will save lives as a Pakistani woman.

An ocean blessing, a desert curse. When I first came to the US from my home country of Pakistan, I struggled in school, somewhat academically but mainly in the social aspect. The social and cultural norms of Pakistan compared to the US were drastically different. I was very unaware of how things really functioned and one of the main challenges that I faced were; my accent, use of vocabulary, the cultural and social norms. Due to these shortcomings, I was treated very differently in school by the other kids and always was made to feel like an outsider. Even though I was very stricken down because of the judgment I received I didn’t let that get to me and instead I worked hard to improve myself. I didn't go through this journey of self-improvement for the sake of being accepted by such judgemental people but because I knew that newfound knowledge welcomed a new insight into life. I found this new mindset, I was dedicated to constantly improving my character, accent, the skills of my knowledge, so I could be a better version of myself and prove wrong to the people that once looked down upon me for my flaws. I did not let the negativity around me encompass me into complete darkness but instead, I chose it as a motivation to prove all those who treated me differently than opposed to my classmates. I did not let my fear of not being included shut me down but woke me up to see and realize my worth. I became confident that I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to and will not let anyone tell me my worth. I am proud of where I come from and know who I am.

Several challenges had to be overcome when embarking on this rigorous journey of high school. A continuous struggle I undergo to this day is my anxiety, or in other words, an overload of stress. I am faced with a heavy workload as an early college high school student, which is extremely difficult to even try to maneuver. The overwhelming amount of assignments were mind-bending to process while having to sit through an hour-long lecture, while my mind was clouded with the haunted thoughts, “I need to get these assignments done or I will get behind, and I could fail. What if I fail? Does this count as procrastination?”. It was indeed a grueling challenge to overcome, but the most efficient manner that I could help heal myself of the damage my anxiety was causing me was to create a positive change in my life. The most significant step that I took was to improve my organizational skills and strategies. I took charge, bought a planner, made a calendar, and even used most of my free time to work on assignments. Now, this took time to adjust to all of this and my overwhelming emotions did not make it easy for me. At times I cried, but as these years passed by, I came to the realization that I lived through those bad days so that better days could arrive for me, and they did! This newfound confidence in my abilities helped me become the person I am today: I didn’t view my anxiety as my hamartia anymore and instead picked myself back up to keep on trying. I became someone who does not let her concerns become her weakness but instead turns the negative into positives and uses it as motivation to work even more diligently towards my goals.

I want to save lives. Being a Biology major may not seem heroic as people consider but for me, it’s one step further into creating a change I want to see in the world. Becoming a doctor has always been a long-term goal of mine. It may seem completely mundane to declare, “I want to be a doctor when I grow up!”, but it's much more than that. Being a part of the medical field isn’t just about getting the title of “Dr. Asim", it is more about gaining that level of respect. Growing up, I was always taught that “don’t run towards money, instead strive to gain respect and everything else will come in time.” Originating from a Pakistani society in which women are never acknowledged for their hard work or considered equal in accordance to the men, becoming a doctor is the most ground-shattering step that I can take. I want to be a beacon of hope for all those Pakistani girls that are told they cannot pursue the same careers as the boys. The reality of reaching my goals of becoming a doctor is that I am able to help people, as cliche as that may sound. I aspire to create a nurturing environment for my patients, so they feel safe and secure in terms of their welfare. Patients should never feel like a burden to their doctors and instead, be comfortable to inform them about their concerns. My patients would be given a voice and never feel neglected. Saving lives doesn’t just mean literally saving lives, but also being there for my patients in the midst of their own struggles. That is how I will save lives as a Pakistani woman.

I want to save lives. Being a Biology major may seem not at all exciting or as heroic as people might consider but for me, it’s one step further into creating a change I want to see in the world. Since my early years in middle school, becoming a doctor has always been a long-term goal of mine. It may seem completely mundane to declare that, “I want to be a doctor when I grow up!”, but for me, it's much more than that. I strive to fulfill my childhood passion of being a doctor or more specifically speaking, a general surgeon. Being a part of the medical field isn’t just about getting the title of “Dr. Asim.” Well honestly speaking, it is in some sort of manner but more about gaining that level of honor/respect. Growing up, I was always taught that “don’t run towards money, instead strive to gain that level of respect and everything else that is meant for you will come at the right time.” Originating from a Pakistani society in which women are never acknowledged for their hard work or considered equal in accordance to the men, becoming a doctor is the most ground-shattering step that I can take. I want to be a beacon of hope for all those Pakistani girls that are told they cannot pursue the same careers as the boys. The reality of reaching my goal of becoming a doctor is so I am able to help people, as cliche as that may sound. It’s more about than just being a medical official but someone that cares about the well-being of their patients and coworkers. I aspire to create a nurturing environment for my patients, so they feel safe and secure in terms of their welfare. Patients should never feel like a burden to their doctors and instead be comfortable to inform them about their concerns, but also feel heard. My patients would be given a voice, in accordance with respect to their personal boundaries and never feel neglected. That is one of my most sought out long-term goals after becoming a doctor. By pursuing Biology as a major, it’s just one step further into becoming a doctor who wants to make a positive change in the medical field and an impactful difference that will not only aid my patients in their journeys but also enhance my work environment for a well-maintained support for my co-workers. Saving lives doesn’t just mean literally saving lives (of course that is crucial), but also being there for my patients in the midst of saving them from their own struggles. That is how I will save lives as a Pakistani woman.