I glared at the sentence, “There is not enough data on the Muslim population to provide information.” On the final page of my public health reading, my community was invisible. My heart filled with worry as I thought of my family struggling with high blood pressure and blood sugar, mistaking them to be “normal aging problems.”. I felt helpless as I watched from afar, unable to offer any solutions. This guilt intensified my passion for public health. My curiosity led me to unearth alarming statistics about Islamophobia’s impact on Muslims’ health and well-being. As a Muslim, I understand how often we are discriminated against; however, I was shocked to find out that discrimination can impact our health. According to a research article by Goleen Samari, "Islamophobia and Public Health in the United States", Muslim Americans face five times more hate crimes post-9/11 (Samari, 2016). Daily discrimination causes concerning health outcomes, such as high blood pressure, psychological distress, and mortality (Samari, 2016). I realized the urgency to address the consequences of Islamophobia, both at the individual level (experiencing constant stress or societal pressure to hide religious identity) and at the systemic level (through discriminatory policies and institutions). Based on my experience with the lack of Muslim representation in health data, I chose to major in Health Studies. Through this degree, I can understand how the social determinants of health, or the environmental conditions where people are born, learn, work, age, and worship, influence health and health equity. As I continued exploring the public health world, I discovered a career I had never heard of: epidemiology. Known as “disease detectives,” this field studies the distribution of disease among different populations. Recently, I found psychiatric epidemiology, which aligns perfectly with my interest in clinical psychology. This subfield intrigues me because of the current rise of depression and anxiety post-COVID. I am passionate about learning the trends in mental disorders across a range of populations. Epidemiology allows me to see the connections between the social determinants of health and health status, including environment, education, and economic status. This field empowers me to use data highlighting disparities in access to and quality of care. After completing my bachelor’s, I will pursue a master’s degree in public health with a concentration on epidemiology. My future goal is to become a psychiatric epidemiologist. I will focus on regions with high mental illness rates, particularly among racial minorities. I aim to use data to identify factors influencing population health and create culturally tailored interventions for underserved communities. This scholarship will give me the funding to succeed as an epidemiologist, developing data analysis, critical thinking, and research skills. As I continue my career journey, I will transform my frustration and anger at Muslims’ lack of representation into an opportunity to create a difference through diverse research. I will become the change I long to see, assuring the future generation of students will see their communities’ voices represented. By researching Muslim communities, I will amplify our voices and advocate for our right to live a fulfilling and healthy life.