1. Even without having programming experience when my high school didn't have the money to give us a variety of these classes, I knew I'd be pursuing computer science when I realized how many programmers are in my life and are the backbones of society. For a long time, computer science isn't talked about enough, or at least in my life and those around me, in a way that I never knew how important it was in our society today. When I had begun researching what major to do, computer science sparked my interest the minute I learned it can be used almost anywhere in any field. My dad's friends, my mom's friends, and family friends around me all program. I was introduced to it by my brother-in-law, who works for Pokemon. My interest grew the more I researched and now I'm in my second year of college pursuing computer science. I can't wait to take my degree in different fields. Perhaps video gaming, filmmaking, art, websites, anything. 2. I hope to strive for either the FAANG companies or companies such as Roblox, StateFarm, At&t, and Ericsson, and strengthen my skills in teamwork and programming. I've always been told college learning is different from job learning, so I wish to learn beyond my scale once after I complete an internship and receive my degree. 3. There are countless students applying along with me. If I must say what makes me seem to be the best candidate or a suggestion, I would say that scholarships would help me immensely in my journey to graduation. My mother pays for my education and tuition costs aren't suitable for many kids anymore. The number at my university grows every year and I feel as though I have to be a helping hand to pay these next semesters. Showing my mother the cost breaks my heart when she wants me to finish this degree just as much as I want to. It would be a miracle if she can relax with the payments, be happy and provide for herself. She deserves all the relaxation she's given me since childhood. She's a hardworking doctor, taking calls daily, but tuition costs are hard to accept. I wish all the candidates applying the best and wish the judges reading the best. A dream can take a student so far, and I want to make it a reality.

As a Muslim in a public university with lots of other Muslims attending, it's not foreign that we exist there. A lot of the non-muslims are very respectful, and a lot of the friends I've met in my Computer Science major have told me they've had Muslim friends in high school. Even though there are so many of us, it still shows our uniqueness and our identity. We, Muslims, are just as important as everyone else. We work amongst everyone, we live amongst everyone, and we go on with our daily lives amongst everyone. I get to show potential work employees or higher-ups what I am capable of no matter who I am or what I wear. I wear a scarf daily, and I perform my prayers daily. Some may think it's "too much" or "difficult" to keep up with, but that's the beauty of being Muslim. Our life is split between this world and our faith. We keep our faith no matter the setting. I've chosen Computer Science as my major to give my parents a picture of what the world would be like for a hijabi Muslim in a workplace where we women, and Muslim women, are scarce. I want to represent us in those areas you don't usually see us in. I've taken my goals higher, as I've started my own small business selling my art, and I've had my own social media accounts to represent us Muslims out there and show the fun of what shows/art/books/etc. I enjoy. I like knowing that people will see how nice we are, how friendly we are, and how fun we are. When I talk to people at my university, they usually tell me I radiate a natural kind of energy. I like to hear that I'm approachable even with my scarf, even with my faith, even with my modest wear, they love to talk to me. These people give me support in my career and I can't wait for the future. I can picture it already, me, with a nice scarf over my head, working for Google or any company I get into InshaAllah. This scholarship would help me immensely, as my mother pays for my tuition herself. The tuition gets higher and higher each year and I fear she won't be able to pay at a certain point. The past 2 semesters were hard for her, as she didn't believe me when the tuition fee came out to be a large number than she expected. My older sister was able to get a full ride in her time, but I did not. My dad can't pay for us because he provides for everything else and for other family members. I wish to see my mom smile or not have to worry about paying for my tuition when she opens the account. Thank you for taking the time to read this, Jazakullahu Khair.

1. I've selected Computer Science because although my father told me not to, I want to show my parents and family that it is achievable for a woman to be in the field. It will be tough and challenging, but I have received so much support from other family and friends after completing my first year. 2. I am naturally an opportunity taker, somebody who also finishes tasks immediately and efficiently. However, I can also easily get distracted or misguided. I may need someone to monitor and help me in case I lose track of a task or need assistance completing it. 3. My name is Sarah Hasan. I am a Pakistani-born Muslim living in Dallas, Texas. I believe I qualify for the scholarship because my mother pays for my fees and they are getting higher at my university. Every tuition we receive per semester, she stays quiet pulling out her credit card and asking me if that number is the real number. I can feel her struggle with the payment and my father can't pay for my tuition because he provides so many other things for us and for other family members. I wish to help her and make her feel happy when she sees the tuition cost lower. She prays for me every day, so I wish to give goodness back for what she's been giving me. 4. I love the Studio Ghibli movie, Ponyo. It is a film by Makoto Shinkai about a young girl named Ponyo in the sea who decides to become human after a young boy saves her while she's a fish. She learns about the world and takes a leap onto land to begin her life as a human while her father is very anxious to let her go. It is a beautifully stunning movie. It revolves around family ties, adventure, love, and color. 5. My greatest achievement is my completion of Hajj back in 2019 alhamdulillah. My parents took me and my brother to go and it was the first time I went. Before, my school had practice Hajj events for us where we, the students, would get to simulate what we do in Hajj with a fake small Ka'bah, a paper mount Arafah, a small tent for Mina, etc. but performing real Hajj was so amazing I never thought I'd be able to do it young or at all. It was so life-changing, I cried praying for my friends and family at Arafah while it rained upon us. I felt unified with everyone around me. The best thing was after we came back from Hajj we were told that to know if your Hajj is accepted is if you give up a bad habit for a year. Alhamdulillah, something I struggled with years before going to Hajj, DISAPPEARED the whole year after coming back. I felt so grateful, so thankful, and hopeful for my faith. I've always struggled with keeping with my faith and that Hajj trip gave me immense confidence.

Innovation, a word I only understood through Ford car ads. Engineering was fascinating to my eye. To see new ideas being created to benefit the world. I knew it in my heart I wanted to pursue something in the engineering field once getting to see such technology appear right in front of me. The coolest thing by far that makes me inspired is phones. Phones have evolved over the years but the fact that these items are getting smarter with each new update is incredible. It's able to recognize fingerprints, face, it recognizes your voice, so much more. Phones are what we all need most these days, it's our biggest form of communication. It's as easy as one tap. Although phones do have many downsides such as scam texts, access to illegal sites, and an overload of cyberbullying, it's able to make the world a better place if given to the right hands. If you ever seek medical aid, a quick 911 call. If you seek therapy, you can talk to a therapist online. If you wish to find a job, an easy search and application to go. Bingo. The future of this device could bring more opportunities in the future. Perhaps making processes such as purchasing and communication much quicker and easier. The possibilities are endless, and I'd want to live to see a world with advancements like no other.

The biggest step I have ever taken was to step outside my "box". Over the years in my life, I was never a go-getter. I was simply a quiet kid in the back of every class observing and wouldn't do more than average. I was too shy to speak or answer a question, but the only thing I was fully confident in and went above and beyond was drawing. Art consumed my life practically every day. I drew in class, at home, in the car, you name it. I used art as a way to connect with people, and so it did. Each time I drew, somebody would look behind and notice my paper. They'd throw in a compliment and that was my strategy and earning friends and being recognized in my class. Of course, art wouldn't take me everywhere. In 2020, I faced a great sacrifice to get rid of my hobbies and pay more attention to virtual school. This time, because of the pandemic, nobody would be able to look behind and see me drawing on paper. Instead, we'd only see people's ceilings on screen, or a forehead if somebody feels generous. I couldn't do anything but study every day in my room. Because of how art was how I'd communicate and express myself, I lost who I was. Nights became more comforting to forget the days before and days became dreadful to realize I was in a repeated loop of school, study, eat, repeat. I resorted to becoming more social to keep myself going. I talked to my sister, I talked to my friends online, I talked to anyone I could get a hold of. My grades were falling down drastically as I couldn't give an ounce to care. I didn't stop from there, though. Although temporarily closing my art hobby made me fall deep into isolation, it also brought me into a new life where I could express myself through other methods. I found a new love for writing my thoughts down into a journal, baking sweets, wearing new outfits to make days fresh and new, and getting as much air outside as I could. Life was at its peak, but not an 11 yet. Fast forward to 2021 summer, senior year was about to begin. This was where I had to prepare for the biggest moment yet, getting off of virtual school and coming in person. It was difficult at first to get used to seeing everyone again. Each class swept by so fast and by the time it was the end of the day, I would be smiling at how colorful these days have been. I felt the need to come back to my art hobby, it was my deep passion. One painting hangs up on my wall, the next one beside it. Soon, I took my art to social media and earned myself an internship as a graphic designer for a small institute called Safa Institute. I wasn't the shy kid in the back of the class, I was the artist with a working mind. I drew my classmates which they loved very much, I continue to post my paintings on Instagram, I've sold a few as well. I've turned my life up to an 11, with art and passion in my hands. I never go a day without smiling or thinking of new ideas. It's who I am and I wouldn't want it to go any other way. I have more projects coming up soon so keep it flowing, too. Life could turn up to a 12!

A huge letter would appear on my papers. A big "F" written in red and x's all over the pages. As a 10-year-old, I felt as if I were an equation, I'd have no solution. My mother signed me up for multiple tutors for math. It was my greatest weakness in school, an alien language I couldn't seem to figure out. Each time I would go for tutoring, I didn't want to see another number in my life ever again. Then, in middle school, I was put into a much larger tutoring center. I was taught by college students who were enthusiastic to show me how math is properly done. Day after day I kept asking to be taken out of the sessions since math and I weren't meant to understand each other. That is until the equal sign of each problem finally had something written down. I couldn't believe it, I solved it correctly! A problem for my Algebra II homework. My instructors checked over my work the following weeks, and soon I never saw an "F" in my eyes again. No reds, just checks, and smiley faces. My love for math began to grow once these college students, getting a side gig here, showed me the world of numbers, a solution to every problem imaginable. At school, I would confidently raise my hand to answer and my math teacher was impressed by my capability. I advanced at school because of those tutoring sessions by applying to take a Geometry class in the summer of 2018. The minute I received my final grade in Geometry and submitted it to my school, was when I knew math would be my favorite subject infinitely. On the first day of school in 10th grade, I was placed into Pre-Calculus. It was a brand new concept to me since my tutoring sessions outside of school barely introduced me to these wild angles and derivatives. My teacher, with an engineering degree and experience teaching all the way back to my sister's class of 2012, got my class started on the introduction to Calculus. It was a brand new world I started to struggle in. I had to really think and use my calculator as my translator to these numerical languages. I used to cry over my grades here and there, as I saw C's and slowly, F's. Could math really stay on this pedestal I had once put it on because of this understanding I thought I had years ago? Months go by like squaring by 2's. A day before my Pre-Calculus exam, I studied carefully with shaking hands and fear for another F. The minute I stepped into class, I had to review as everyone else was rushing in front of me. The papers get passed out, and I have the feeling to pass out. My pencil marks every space, numbers go flying, the unit circle spin in my head, and I hand the paper to my teacher. Math was my one weakness, my best friend, and an enemy. I used to never want to solve its problems, I wasn't built to be its therapist. My paper gets handed back to me a week later. I open my eyes and see...a B. A big smile plasters on my face and I go home thinking of my future. Sitting here today and ready for college, I wonder what new problems I'll face for my career in the Engineering world. Math will be everywhere in life, but I'll be ready with a solution no matter if it's on paper or screen.

The best strategy that helps me study is listening to ASMR while I read my notes. ASMR stands for Auto Sensory Meridian Response but in a short definition, ASMR is audios or videos of different sounds such as tapping, scratching, or crinkling a piece of paper. Soft sounds create "tingles" in the scalp and upper spine, relaxing different regions in the brain. In a way, it's also used as therapy especially for people with anxiety. I listen to ASMR while I study so I don't feel stressed about retaining the information in my head no matter how much time I have. To some, it may seem distracting to hear noises while focusing on another task, but the sounds aren't loud enough to make me divert my attention. When I'm calm, I tend to understand information, speech, and thoughts better. It's as if I'm in another world, maybe next to a river in a forest studying. Really relieves stress not only during the studying but for test days, too.

"Can't help myself" by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. The piece is a robot that moves excitedly to clean a red liquid surrounding it on the floor, presented at Guggenheim Museum. Over time, the machine became rusted and would sweep the liquid slower, almost resembling the way a human would become frustrated by doing the same work over and over again. The red liquid wouldn't disappear and the same amount would stay no matter how many times the machine would sweep it. In 2021, the machine was shut down. This piece is powerful in showing how we can hinder by cleaning up a mess that won't go away. It's a machine that almost feels human based on its happy behavior cleaning the liquid at the beginning, then crippling over time as it realizes the liquid won't go away and it "can't help itself." Videos which became viral on the internet showed the machine in the museum. It was silent as people watched the machine sweep nothing. Being in that room makes it feel, as some visitors describe, almost as if you're sorry and can't do anything to help the machine. I love this piece because it's how the world is viewed. It's upsetting to see news about a death, or an incident, and not being able to do anything about it but watch. For instance, the Uyghur Muslim camps in China. The urge to reach out and save the Muslims being killed in those camps, yet feeling sorry and helpless because you know you can't help them, especially since I'm only 17 and in America. It's a piece I'll never forget.

My favorite book by far would be my own book I published on July 29th, 2021! The title of my book is called "I Dare You Not To Read This Book" by Sarah Hasan, me, and it's about a talking book with its own personality narrating 9 different genres of short stories each chapter. The book also has a name, Bartolomeo D. Ahmed II. During the book, you play games with it such as Pictionary, a game where one person draws and the other guesses what it is. I love my book so dearly because it was a childhood dream of mine to publish a book and that book I had published this year had a first draft written all the way back in 2015 when I was 10. It's a "never seen before" kind of book because is there any book in libraries and bookstores that you have read consisting of a talking book laughing with you, narrating different short stories featuring you as the main character, and playing different games with you? My book can be bought and found on Amazon and my own copy sits at my shelf as I see it everyday when I come home from school. It's not only just a talking book with silly stories, it's a different world in my brain that I projected onto paper. It's one of my most proudest creations till this day and will always be my #1!