How do you invest or hope to invest in the Penn State community?
I currently help the Penn State community by volunteering locally to help people in need, mainly picking up packages from Wegmans and moving them to local Churches to feed those in need. I volunteer with many churches in State College, including the mosque, since I am a part of the Muslim community in State College. Being a local in this town gives me these opportunities to help the community and help those who are struggling through tough times. My main goal is to continue to invest in Penn State because Penn State has taught me a lot about myself. Penn State has also given me lots of opportunities to grow as a student and become a better person. I always try to manage to volunteer and do work to help others. I love helping people, and it brings me a lot of joy and motivates me to do more and more.
What is the most impactful activity or experience that you have engaged with at Penn State? How has it impacted you personally? How has this activity/experience helped you grow?
The most impactful experience that I have engaged with at Penn State, is the weekly DUS Engaged Scholars meetings. Being a part of this group has shaped me to become a better student and allowed me to understand and acknowledge that there are people and advisors within this group that cared about my academics, mental health and well-being as a Penn State first generation minority student. This group has impacted me personally by allowing me to feel better about myself since I am a shy person. Every week, I would look forward to having our weekly scholars meeting because it brought me happiness and relieved a lot of stress for me, especially during difficult times. I also struggled to make new friends, but being a part of this group has allowed me to meet new people and become closer with them. This group has helped me grow and understand more things about myself. For example, I came into Penn State undecided and wasn't sure what I really wanted to pursue, and having the opportunity to be a part of this group has allowed me to open more paths for myself and pursue what I am really passionate about.
How do you support diversity, equity and/or inclusion at Penn State or/and within your local community?
I support diversity and equality within my local community in many ways. When there are protests planned that relate to equality or diversity, I always involve myself and go out and support. Going out and supporting is always a huge deal because it brings awareness to the issues going on and it shows the victims that their voices must be heard. Being Muslim, Middle Eastern and a minority myself, I would also want others to be there for me and support me with equality and diversity. I always involve myself in Black Lives Matter protests, gender equality and gay rights protests. Going out and being apart helps a lot of people and it brings good people together to show them support and show that others also agree and stand behind them. With the most recent local Palestine protest, lots of people came out and showed support to the Muslim and Middle Eastern community. This showed me that people always cared about Middle Easterners and made me feel better about myself. It has also taught me a very important lesson, which is to always participate and support diversity and equality in local communities.
