While preparing for graduation from the University of Florida and the International Scholars program, I was searching through the E-portfolios of previous scholars and came across a quote from my MFOS mentor that I met in freshman year, Jaclyn Biedronski. She wrote:

 
"We live in a world that is constantly changing, and this change is not always easy or pretty. Most of the time it comes from moments of crisis, of frustration,
that push us to change our ways in the hopes of a better future."

     This powerful statement resonated with me and my experiences because while these past four years have not been easy for both my personal and academic life, I definitely learned a lot about myself and about the type of person I want to be. It also made me realize that the frustrations that I’ve experienced while studying abroad and in class were simply a result of me not understanding where I fit into this world. What can I do to make this world a better place? Throughout my journey I sometimes felt that there can be no amount of good that can balance out all the bad in this world. I eventually overcame this pessimism and decided that no matter how insignificant I may think one act of kindness may be, if it comes to my mind, I will do it anyway. We never know how our actions affect the people we interact with and one act of kindness during someone’s invisible moment of crisis may be the reason they turn their lives around.

     
     Let’s take a look at where I’ve been; At the end of my sophomore year, I abandoned the pre-med track on account of only pursuing it to please my parents. I didn’t have the right intentions and felt that if I do end up becoming a doctor, it would be a disservice to my patients. That summer before my junior year was a summer that I will never forget. A lot was going on, and at the same time, nothing at all. I remember watching the news every day after going to physical therapy in the beginning of July. In less than a week, three different black men were unjustly murdered by cops. Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Joseph Mann. I felt ashamed to have ever wanted to enter the law enforcement profession where every member swears to serve the public and uphold the law yet, a black man who encounters the law is never given the chance to be proven guilty. He is executed on the spot. What power would I have to stop this injustice if those cops were my peers? If I did have any influence, how would I be able to keep this from happening in other parts of the country? This was the start of my frustrations and pessimism. As a result, I turned to religion, which I always understood as a just religion. I took comfort in the fact that even though we may not see justice served in these very moment, things will get better. These are the moments of crisis that will push us to change our ways in the hopes of a better future. Since I started studying the Quran, I wanted to understand the language better and that’s when I began learning Arabic.

     Tying it all together, the one thing that connects my interest in social justice issues  to my interest in the environment is my desire to leave an impact on this world, no matter how small. Upon graduation, I intend on pursuing a J.D degree with the hopes of one day being in the position to serve the minorities in my community, whether that be through social justice work or, through working to protect our natural resources.