My name is Sara Al-Joulani, I am a first-generation Palestinian-American Muslim Woman hoping to pursue an education in teaching at the University of Washington, Tacoma. I am most passionate about pursuing my career, and I'm excited to share with you several reasons why. Our next generation of students will have to face unthinkable hardships and intense challenges. They will be our new leaders, problem solvers, and activists. The way they are treated and taught as children will be extremely important in who they will become growing up, which is why becoming a teacher is such a meaningful role I would like to pursue. Being able to educate young minds and make them kind humans with positive attitudes is something I would be honored to be part of. In such a hateful world filled with crimes and negativity, I want to spread kindness and confidence because who you become reflects on how you were treated during your childhood. My goal is to achieve my Bachelor of Arts degree in Education at the University of Washington, Tacoma in my home state of Washington to stay close to my family while I can still allow myself to grow. I hope my time at UW will educate me on how to further understand teaching skills and empathize with all types of students as well as become more open-minded, skilled, and passionate about teaching. Also, I want to become a role model to my students and teach them their worth and potential. Additionally, I strongly value diversity and will ensure students of all backgrounds and identities feel included and loved. I grew up as a minority and hope that my students can feel supported as well as support each other no matter who they are. During high school, I took the opportunity to become a running start student for my junior and senior years. I have been given new experiences and learned at a higher academic level allowing me to obtain my Associate's degree by 18. Additionally, I was an official member of the National Honors Society where I completed over 50 hours of volunteer hours per year. I got to work at food banks, and local events at elementary schools or parks, and my favorite was working directly in a classroom with my favorite elementary teacher growing up. As a first-generation Palestinian-American, I believe it is crucial to make the most of what life throws at you. This is another reason I am passionate about becoming a teacher as I can pass on meaningful themes to my students that they can use throughout their lives. Lastly, money has never come easy for me or my family as I come from a hard-working immigrant low-income household where we lived paycheck to paycheck all my life. This is why this scholarship will benefit me greatly by providing ease in my financial struggles of paying for my higher education at UW Tacoma. Thank you for considering me and reading my story.

Our next generation of students will have to face unthinkable hardships and intense challenges. They will be our new leaders, problem solvers, and activists. The way they are treated and taught as children will be extremely important in who they will become growing up, which is why I believe becoming a teacher is such a meaningful role I would like to pursue. Being able to educate young minds and create them to be kind humans with positive attitudes is something I would be honored to be part of. In such a hateful world filled with crimes and negativity, I want to spread kindness and confidence because who you become reflects on how you were treated during your childhood. My goal is to achieve my Bachelor of Arts degree in Education at the University of Washington, Tacoma in my home state of Washington to stay close to my family while I can still allow myself to grow. I hope my time at UW will educate me on how to further understand teaching skills and empathize with all types of students as well as become more open-minded, skilled, and passionate about teaching. Also, I want to become a role model to my students and teach them their worth and potential. Additionally, I strongly value diversity and will ensure students of all backgrounds and identities feel included and loved. I grew up as a minority and hope that my students can feel supported as well as support each other no matter who they are. During high school, I took the opportunity to become a running start student for my junior and senior years. I have been given new experiences and learned at a higher academic level allowing me to obtain my Associate's degree by 18. As a first-generation Palestinian-American and Muslim woman, I believe it is important to make the most of what life throws at you. This is another reason I am passionate about becoming a teacher as I can pass on meaningful themes to my students that they can use throughout their lives. Furthermore, I am so grateful to my parents for giving me a safe and secure life in the United States where I have more opportunities and freedoms. I want to honor them and make them proud by becoming an elementary school teacher who shapes young minds into caring individuals. All in all, I want to spread kindness and become a supportive and memorable teacher by starting my journey at the University of Washington, Tacoma.

Growing up as a first-generation Palestinian-American Muslim woman, I felt like an outcast due to my race and religion. Whenever the topic arose, I was bombarded with questions. This is because of the lack of education on my identity. Since my peers were not familiar with people of my race and religion, they would turn their curiosity to me. Most of their inquiries were harmless but I still felt empty and ashamed for having to explain a part of me that was normal but seemed weird and confusing to others. Especially since I was quite familiar with most of their cultures as they are incorporated into our education or taught to us every school year. However, I did not let others' lack of knowledge about me put me down. I spoke highly of who I am with pride. I started to look at the situation from a different perspective. I began thinking of how to share my stories and cultures that make me the hardworking and resilient person I am. I come from a line of strong fighters against colonization and I want to be able to pass along the right message and make my ancestors proud. This has taught me to stand up for myself, my people, and my culture as I may be the only person able to teach them. This adversity has inspired me to become an educator and teach the world to be kind and uplifting. I aim to make our society a better place starting with the leaders and workers of the next generation. I hope to familiarize them with different cultures and identities other than their own so they can be successful and inclusive to everyone as the world is such a diverse and beautiful place. Additionally, my advice for someone facing similar circumstances is to be resilient, patient, and brave. It is crucial to be proud of your identity and ensure the whiteness and societal norms of today don't erase who you are. Be loud and confident as you are meant to be. Don't let someone's ignorance throw you down. Overall, I am grateful for all the experiences God has given me to grow in this lifetime. I hope I can spread goodness with the knowledge I have acquired as well as the openness and willingness to learn more. Everyone faces struggles in life but it is what you do and how you grow from them that makes you strong.

Growing up Muslim was a blessing from Allah (SWT). My name is Sara Al-Joulani and I am grateful to have learned Islam from an early age and that I can continue discovering new facts daily. My Muslim identity and being a first-generation Palestinian American have inspired me to chase my dreams and take chances. It is gutwrenching to say that several people in society have bad impressions of Palestinians because they don't fully understand the violence going on in what's now referred to as Isreal. This is why I want to make the most of my life with the opportunities I was given living in the United States as a Muslim and a future educator. My goal is to teach in an elementary school environment and motivate young minds to view the world positively and to always be brave. Academically, I am a running start student attending both Tacoma Community College as well as Curtis Senior High School. I have maintained a 4.0 through the past years in both high school and college-level classes. Additionally, I am an official member of the NHS club where I demonstrate leadership, honor, and consistency in volunteering roles. By June 2024, I will have graduated with my high school diploma as well as an associate's degree in elementary education. However, I would like to talk more about my life outside of school because that is what truly shows who I am. For starters, I value my family so much and especially care for them as I am constantly watching over my 4-year-old niece as she grows into a smart and kind individual. Also, I am constantly being cared for by my parents and siblings who shower me with love and support in my life. I am grateful for my family and I couldn't be who I am without them as they give me the courage and motivation to grow. As a Muslim, my family and I were always involved in our small local masjid. For instance, my mom had a Quaran reading women's group within the community, and my sisters and I attended Youth group weekly as well as Arabic and Religion classes growing up. That masjid was such a beautiful place with the most friendly and accepting people. Unfortunately, it was burned down in a tragic arsonic attack in 2021. It breaks my heart to witness Islamophobia on a daily. This is one of the reasons I want to teach the next generation to become kind and inclusive humans. This scholarship would allow me to reach that goal by funding my college tuition to begin my journey at a university school in hopes of gaining my Bachelor's degree in teaching.