Thanks to my parents, Social Justice, and activism have influenced my life ever since I can remember. From my early childhood, my parents have always provoked me to question what was taught to me and think critically from different perspectives. Because of this, I have become aware of many things I wouldn't have known about because I was taught to always do other research, and look for alternative answers than the ones already provided. This further sparked my interest in social Justice because I was learning things that were not being taught in school and learning about subjects and thinking that was important to me. I was learning on my own accord. Don’t get me wrong, math can be fun sometimes, and being a doctor is terrific, but I think it is much more underrated and vital to be aware of. To know why different people are treated a certain way, how an institution came to be, why this country has a conflict with another country. I want to be well-versed and socially aware. I want to understand how we as humans came to this point we are at right now. That's what drives me and keeps me motivated. Due to this, I have aspirations to help others and aid people with problems going on in their everyday life, and understand how these problems came to be so I can fix them as best I can. I believe that a core concept and trait of the human condition is to help others and is something that drives my morality in my everyday life. I have even been deemed the ‘therapist friend’ as I am the person my friends come to when they need help or have a problem. I just want to listen and help aid them the best I can because I want everyone to feel comfortable and happy. So much so that it influenced what I want to do in the future and my academic career. I either want to major in political science or criminal Justice, with a minor in homeland security in hopes of working somewhere in the law or in the government that provides relief and help for people. Once I get to college, I will be able to find further employment opportunities that align with my aspirations and hopefully get one step closer to my goal of helping others and contributing to the social justice movement all around the world.

My Muslim identity has influenced all parts of my life for as long as I can remember. From how I use an open mind when meeting new people to how I order my food, my faith has been closely intertwined with me, further holding influence over my school life and my future academic goals. A prominent general theme of Islam that has dictated the majority of my life is the notion of always treating people kindly and unconditionally and giving back to others, something I try my best to incorporate into my daily life, so much. Hence, it interconnects with my aspirations for my future. From a young age, my parents made it apparent that the world was created unfairly and that not everyone has the same opportunities. My parents always provoked me to think differently and question what I was being taught in school and tied it back to our faith. From teaching me about the true horrors of Christopher Columbus sailing the ocean blue to the harsh reality and effects the patriot had after 9/11 on the Muslim population, they never failed to make sure I was thinking critically and from multiple perspectives. This, combined with my upbringing in a Muslim household, is what prospered and served as a catalyst for my interest in social justice. Zakat and the general concept of helping those less fortunate to them is something that has driven my morality and my dreams of becoming a lawyer. I want to help better people in their lives and help them fight a justice system that is corrupted and essentially against them. More specifically, this way of thinking has helped me pursue further research in social justice and self-education and helped me find opportunities that align with my goals and morale. More specifically, over this past summer, I have been interning and volunteering at the Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter located in Boston. I’ve talked to residents and heard some of their stories. I was even able to witness something called ‘homeless court,’ which is a court hearing that takes place at the homeless shelter which helps give the residents a chance to go and get minor misdemeanors and charges off their record, as it stops them from being able to receive housing and moving forward with their lives. Being able to partake in and witness this was indeed something special. Seeing people get better and be given aid is an indescribable feeling. During undergrad, I also plan to pursue a degree in either Political Science or Global relations. I also hope to go and study abroad in Morocco, where I am from, and work closely with people there. After undergrad, I hope to apply to law school. With this being said, that is a lot of school and a lot of money. My dad is essentially the only working adult in my household, as my mom recently quit her job. He has to pay for not only my school but my sister's school, and she is only a year younger than me. In addition, FAFSA just eliminated their sibling discount, making it even harder to obtain the necessary aid. I hope this scholarship will just alleviate a little bit of the financial stress on my father and is a step in the correct direction for my family financially.

My favorite song off of Taylor Swift's album 1989 is ‘New Romantics’. With a captivating intro dubbed with iconic techno beats to the catchy chorus, it never fails to make me roll down my windows and play it full blast while I am in the car. However, those are not the only reasons as to why ‘New Romantics' takes the top spot for me. It is more than common knowledge that Taylor Swift throughout her career has been challenged with copious amounts of sexism and double standards, something that is applicable to women everywhere at some point in their lives. ‘New Romantics’ is a cultivation of Taylor addressing and responding to the hate through a powerful, feminist point of view. With her referencing 'The Scarlet letter within the few first lines. A classic novel written by Nathaniel Hawthrone, which explores critiques of the patriarchy in a blunt vulgar manner. She later goes on to sing "We play dumb, but we know exactly what we're doin" a nod to a gesture many women feel obliged to do in daily life. As a part of the female experience is being equated and automatically thought of as less capable in comparison to their male counterparts, sometimes playing dumb and playing into the male gaze turns out to be a calculated tactic to prevail and progress faster. Moving on to the chorus where she recites 'Cause baby, I could build a castle Out of all the bricks they threw at me', my personal favorite line of the whole song because it again encapsulates a very big theme of Taylor's career of constantly receiving relentless and endless hate. However she is able to take this and rebuild it into something beneficial for herself as she further learns to deal with sexism and not let it taint her spirit or image so she can unconditionally be herself. Which, I think, is one of the most underrated attributes a person can have. Persevering, and not letting something get to your head is a message young girls and teens all around the world should take to heart, which is much easier said than done, but listening to a Taylor Swift, a person I dearly look up to, share her experience and have it be something I relate to is something I will cherish. Growing up as a teenage girl is so complicated but having an Artist like Taylor Swift write songs and convey messages that are so applicable and digestible to teenage girls is something that is so under-appreciated. While New Romantics is one of the few songs Swift has written about the women's experience in society, it's one of my all time favorites, and never fails to deliver a feel good vibe while demonstrating a strong, and vital message to teenage girls around the world.