Nasir Abbas Rizvi Memorial Scholarship

As-Salam-o-Alaikum, my name is Taha Ali. I'm currently a freshman at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and my dream is to become a dentist with a major in Public Health and a minor in Biology. I enjoy going out and spending time with my friends and family in my free time. My family is filled with kind and supportive individuals. Growing up in a low-income household has its difficulties and winning this scholarship will allow me to lessen them a little. Even with these financial burdens my parents always did what was best for their children. They always showed us the value of education and Islam. When I was younger, my parents would take my siblings and I to Kumon to improve our schooling and succeed later on in life. In addition to education, my parents would teach us the value of the Quran, and my dad would teach us how to recite nohas and qasidas. Every Saturday as a child, I would go to Astaana School and learn new things about Islam that I never knew beforehand. After graduating, I volunteered and helped teach the students. I began teaching the second grade with Ferheen Bhaji and had an excellent time. I taught some students how to read the Quran during one period, and in the other, I would help teach deeniyat with the other teacher. Volunteering at Astaana School enabled me to become a better leader and more adaptive in situations. Working with children allowed me to become a kind and compassionate leader by understanding my students and allowing them to feel welcome in a classroom. Earning their respect was challenging initially, but they realized I was a friend to them over time. I truly believed that I positively impacted their lives by volunteering in this school. By teaching them the difference between halal and haraam, I believe this positively impacted their lives resulting in them doing even more good in the world as they grow up. My volunteering experience at the dentist's office solidified my career. Ever since I was a child, I also knew I wanted to become a dentist, but I never had the opportunity to shadow the doctor. Shadowing a dentist brightened my day and always left me with a smile. While volunteering at the office, I saw different procedures and individuals with different backgrounds. Talking to the patients would usually comfort them as a procedure was occurring. One experience that had positively impacted the world was when a patient came into the office for an extraction. This patient was frightened with the idea of getting their teeth pulled out, but I was in the room with them and tried talking and comforting them in any way possible. After the extraction was completed, the patient thanked me for relaxing them when they were in pain. After this incident, I was delighted to have positively impacted someone. Although this experience impacts one individual, it impacts the world because each individual matters. If I show compassion to one individual, the following individual would also try to be compassionate to another person and so on. The skills I have learned throughout my life and by volunteering will continue the legacy of treating everyone with compassion and positively impacting their lives. From my volunteering experience, I learned how to become a better leader and understand others from different backgrounds. These qualities are essential in opening my own dental office one day, because I would need leadership skills to have a good team and also the ability to understand the different circumstances of all my patients.

I will never forget the smile I saw on the face of a young elementary school student when I handed him a backpack. He smiled just looking at a brand new backpack, not even realizing that the backpack was full of supplies as well. For that kid just having a functioning backpack that wasn't ripped or beaten down was enough to make him grin from ear to ear. The fact that just a functioning backpack was enough to fill this kid up with joy broke my heart. He hadn't even realized that along with the backpack there were colored pencils, crayons, pencils, markers, rulers, and all the supplies needed to do well in school. Most students have trouble paying for college, however, in a country like America, it is heartbreaking to read stories about kids who cannot succeed in k-12 education due to financial hardships. My parents, community leaders, and Islamic identity have always taught me to give back to those who don't have the resources I do. I have been born and raised in America, however, both of my parents come from Pakistan. In countries like Pakistan, not everyone has the access to education and that is the harsh reality of the situation. My dad tells me stories about how his family did not have the finances to be able to finish school in Pakistan. He uprooted his whole life to move to America at the age of 14 and establish a better life here so that he could give me a better life and opportunity to succeed through education. Through my father's tough experiences, I have learned to value education. My mosque teams up with an organization called Who is Hussain annually to hold, what we call, a backpack drive. New backpacks, as well as school supplies, are provided for kids in Chicago who cannot afford them. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in this opportunity and help others who are not as fortunate as I am. Who is Hussain also organizes volunteer events at soup kitchens which I have found very rewarding. There is a certain pleasure one finds when helping others who are less fortunate than themselves. I hope to continue volunteering and helping others through my role as a future educator. I plan on pursuing a career in the field of academia, it would be a dream of mine to become a History professor. I would love to specifically focus on teaching Islamic history. Unfortunately, through media portrayal, Muslims are painted in a negative light and not everyone understands Islam is a religion that promotes love, peace, and unity. I strive to be able to use my position as a professor to facilitate charitable campaigns such as food drives, clothes drives, and backpack drives similar to Who is Hussain. It would be a dream come true of mine if I could use my position as a professor to engage organizations like Who is Hussain in a university setting. The general public may not know how much Islam teaches us to give back to the poor. As a professor, I would be able to help students put together charitable events to help propagate the name of Islam in an educational setting. It is every community member's job to be the best representative of Islam. I hope that my volunteer experience and career goals help me represent Islam in the best way possible and help others who are not as fortunate as I am.