Senior 16

Leadership can mean many things, but to me, it is about discovering traits within myself to inspire others to be the best version of themselves and reach inspired goals. Looking at my surroundings and using what I can offer has inspired me to be more involved in my communities. I overcame many challenges, whether it be immigrating to the United States or having difficulty making friends. I am glad to be able to utilize the resources I have, such as my family, teachers, the mosque I attend, and my place of work. I went through different experiences with all of them, and they made me the leader I am today.

Being the child of immigrant parents has its challenges. I had to take the initiative as I was the only one in my family at the time who spoke English fluently and understood it well. I used my knowledge to translate documents and interpret for them whenever they needed me to. I take pride in what I have done and continue to do so as my parents grow older and require more help each year. I am also a coach at my workplace, Home Depot. My supervisors and managers chose me to be an associate coach for new employees. I believe I was selected because of my traits and how I portray myself to others. I have a great work ethic while being trustworthy so that others can trust me with any issues. I have spent four months managing and running the token store my school offers to students, so I was responsible for restocking products and handling the tokens, which were treated as currency, meaning they had to be handled by a responsible individual.

 I have been exposed to the medical field from a young age, mainly from being in the hospital with my grandparents before they passed away. Seeing the nurses and doctors care for my loved ones has inspired me to be in medicine because I want to care for people’s loved ones. As a first step, I started the medical assisting program my school offered at the University of Central Missouri. I passed the course and the board exam and am currently completing my clinical hours to finish them. I love helping people, no matter how small or large the act of service is and how it impacts one’s life, so I will pursue more in the medical field to become a general dentist. I am willing to challenge my strengths in the dental field as it will be a difficult journey, but I will gain more knowledge and experience while being able to do what I love for a future career. I will not be the only one proud of myself, but my parents, who moved to a different country for their children’s better future and worked very hard to provide for them. Going to college in the United States makes me a first-generation college student. I want to focus on my studies to achieve goals I can only dream of doing now. I want to impact people’s lives intellectually by being a leader and a great individual or physically enhancing people’s smiles to uplift their confidence.