When
I tell people that I’m a child of a single mother, at least half of
them project a sense of pity for me. They’re simply implying that
my mother wasn’t enough for me, that I needed a fatherly figure in
the house to be complete. I knew well that we struggled financially,
but through the good and the bad my mom always told me, “You have a
great potential, you must know how to use it wisely.” Coming from a
top pediatrician who spent at least half of her life studying and the
other half raising three children on her own and working two jobs, I
trusted her words. I began pursuing what I enjoy most: Service.
In
the summer of 2016, I joined PALTeach, a summer English program that
provides girls from refugee camps an interactive Art, STEM and
English program free of charge. I volunteered to be a STEM teacher
for the summer and was thus tasked with creating lesson plans,
conducting experiments, and managing large classes. My communication
skills were put to the test, as I had to conduct the class in both
English and Arabic according to the various learning abilities of my
students. By the end I had students chanting “Guess! See! Explain!”
every time they conducted an experiment. The camp left a lasting
impression on me, but more so on the students I taught, many of whom
left with a new-found love of science.
Later
on, with the help of my friends, I started a student-led organization
called “Steps toward Change” through which we delivered food
boxes to people in need, in Palestinian villages every Ramadan –
the holy month Muslims fast in. I had to collect funding from rich
individuals, banks, and companies. After taking permission from my
school to use a classroom to package the food supplies we bought with
the money collected, we delivered these boxes to families living
under poverty. One thing I was trying to avoid is to give them a pity
look. I know how powerless it makes a person feels. People have a
tendency, sometimes, to exploit pain and focus on only these parts of
an individual. They are more than just a sad story; they’re souls
with eminent potential.
On
March2018, after a hard time applying for sixteen scholarships to
study in the U.S., I was offered the “International Cultural
Service Program” full-tuition scholarship in the University of
Oregon. I was one among thousands of brilliant students to compete
for a scholarship based on high academic standing and distinguished
community service.
Today,
I’m the Palestinian Service ambassador in the Eugene community,
where I volunteer 80 hours per year in a second language at the
opposite end of my native country. I give back wholeheartedly to the
community I’m situated at because I can’t sit back and wait for
an invitation to help. I relied on no one not even my long-gone dad.
I believe so much in the power of the individual. It’s an enormous
one.
I tell people that I’m a child of a single mother, at least half of
them project a sense of pity for me. They’re simply implying that
my mother wasn’t enough for me, that I needed a fatherly figure in
the house to be complete. I knew well that we struggled financially,
but through the good and the bad my mom always told me, “You have a
great potential, you must know how to use it wisely.” Coming from a
top pediatrician who spent at least half of her life studying and the
other half raising three children on her own and working two jobs, I
trusted her words. I began pursuing what I enjoy most: Service.
In
the summer of 2016, I joined PALTeach, a summer English program that
provides girls from refugee camps an interactive Art, STEM and
English program free of charge. I volunteered to be a STEM teacher
for the summer and was thus tasked with creating lesson plans,
conducting experiments, and managing large classes. My communication
skills were put to the test, as I had to conduct the class in both
English and Arabic according to the various learning abilities of my
students. By the end I had students chanting “Guess! See! Explain!”
every time they conducted an experiment. The camp left a lasting
impression on me, but more so on the students I taught, many of whom
left with a new-found love of science.
Later
on, with the help of my friends, I started a student-led organization
called “Steps toward Change” through which we delivered food
boxes to people in need, in Palestinian villages every Ramadan –
the holy month Muslims fast in. I had to collect funding from rich
individuals, banks, and companies. After taking permission from my
school to use a classroom to package the food supplies we bought with
the money collected, we delivered these boxes to families living
under poverty. One thing I was trying to avoid is to give them a pity
look. I know how powerless it makes a person feels. People have a
tendency, sometimes, to exploit pain and focus on only these parts of
an individual. They are more than just a sad story; they’re souls
with eminent potential.
On
March2018, after a hard time applying for sixteen scholarships to
study in the U.S., I was offered the “International Cultural
Service Program” full-tuition scholarship in the University of
Oregon. I was one among thousands of brilliant students to compete
for a scholarship based on high academic standing and distinguished
community service.
Today,
I’m the Palestinian Service ambassador in the Eugene community,
where I volunteer 80 hours per year in a second language at the
opposite end of my native country. I give back wholeheartedly to the
community I’m situated at because I can’t sit back and wait for
an invitation to help. I relied on no one not even my long-gone dad.
I believe so much in the power of the individual. It’s an enormous
one.
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