Islam on Campus
During the summer of 2016, about a week after my ACL reconstruction surgery, I was sitting on my couch scrolling Facebook when I came across a post from the student organization “Islam on Campus”. They were looking for committee members for the coming year’s Islam Appreciation Month. Having nothing to do but all the will to be productive and start my fall semester afresh, I applied for the position. This was probably the best decision I made during my time here at UF. The following months, I was able to work with an amazing group of people to spread the awareness about Islam and Muslims around the world in fun and creative ways around my campus community.
 Islamapalooza!This cultural fair was the first event of Islam Appreciation Month (IAM) 2016 and also the one event that I led as a part of my role on the IAM committee. It featured henna, food, trivia, calligraphy, a craft station, and a game called "Pop the Stigma" in which participants are asked to write something negative that that had previously heard about Muslims on a balloon and then pop it with a dart. |
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 Islamapalooza!Trivia game in which participant spin the wheel and answer the question the arrow points to. |
 Islamapalooza!Henna booth |
 Spoken WordStudents and members of the community came together for this event to shared their experiences as Muslims in America. |
 IOC BBQNashrah and I at the IAM social. She was the first person I met from this organization and I am absolutely proud to say that I was able to get to know such a motivated and hardworking individual! |
 IOC BBQ 2 |
 Muslim womenA talk on what it means to be a woman in Islam. |
 Art in IslamThis was my absolute favorite event of the month. Art is such a powerful method of expression and is able to show such deep sentiments that otherwise would be superficially conveyed with simple words. |
 FAST-A-THON 2017Volunteer servers during this annual dinner in which Islam on Campus raises money for a local charity. This year's charity was Radiant Hands, who's aim is to empower women and families in North Central Florida and provide “spiritual ,emotional, educational, and financial support with a goal of helping them achieve independence.” and "Helping Hands", an independent humanitarian organization that aims to improve access to clean drinking water. |
 FAST-A-THON 2017Big crowd for this year's charity dinner! |
UF Medlife
I first got involved with UF Medlife (Medicine, Education and Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere) during the summer after my freshman year (2015). I was walking from class one day and decided to speak with one of the officers tabling in Turlington Plaza. “Are you on the pre-med track and interested in helping families in third-world countries?” I heard someone say. My head turned and I was intrigued. Taking a mission trip to Peru that year was my goal. I volunteered to carwash, and worked concessions during football games in order to raise money for this trip. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go but, I was still able to be volunteer through this organization by working with Project Downtown feeding the homeless and Hope Lodge spending time with cancer patients. In 2017, I took a service trip to New Orleans to help with a highway beautification project, reconstruct a house that has been destroyed since hurricane Katrina in 2005, and plant trees in the swamp that will help with flooding in the future. Although I am no longer interested in becoming a doctor, volunteering with this organization has definitely opened my eyes to the different ways that I can help people. I have learned that any small act of kindness can have a huge impact.
 Medlife in New OrleansGetting Ready for our 8 hour drive to New Orleans! |
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 Medlife in New OrleansReady for a warm meal after a cold day of house painting |
 Medlife in New OrleansWe were pretty proud of our work! |
 Medlife in New OrleansHighway beautification project. Although it seems like a trivial task, our volunteer coordinator explained to us that beautifying a highway will make business owners want to invest in the area therefore creating more jobs for the community and helping the lower 9th ward lift itself out of poverty. |
 Medlife in New OrleansCleaning up the highway intersection. We got many appreciative car honks while out here. |
 Medlife in New OrleansPlanting trees in the swamp is not an easy task when there's a huge rock in the way. I slipped too many times. (I'm not messy, I just like to get into my work!) |
 Medlife in New OrleansOf course we had time to explore the city after a long day of volunteering! |
 Medlife in New OrleansOur trip leader Jocelyn and I, outside of the famous Cafe du Monde! |