Hobbies and interests
Lacrosse
Research
Crafting
Theology and Religious Studies
Speech and Debate
Tutoring
Field Hockey
Reading
Fantasy
Young Adult
Realistic Fiction
Religion
Adventure
Action
I read books daily
Ayyan Qureshi
685
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FinalistAyyan Qureshi
685
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FinalistBio
I am a high school student who is passionate about using STEM to make the world a better place! I truly believe that education is the driving force in advancing society to help promote inclusion and equality for all.
Education
North Stafford High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Career
Dream career field:
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
Dream career goals:
Company founder
Sports
Lacrosse
Varsity2019 – 20212 years
Field Hockey
Varsity2021 – Present3 years
Research
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Commonwealth Governor's School — Researcher2021 – Present
Public services
Volunteering
North Stafford Tutoring Center — Co-Founder/Co-President2021 – 2023Volunteering
National Honor Society — President2022 – 2023Volunteering
Stafford Hospital — Volunteer2022 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Youssef University's Muslim Scholarship Fund
I’ve always viewed Islam as a religion of peace and generosity. Growing up, I watched my parents work hard not only to support themselves and their families, but also those struggling to make ends meet. This example culminated into my desire to hold a career of service. After all, Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, states, “A man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world.” When my grandmother, who resided in a less medically-equipped area of Pakistan, first encountered her health struggles, I knew exactly how I wanted to do good in this world.
Following her stroke, brain hemorrhage, and lower-limb amputations, my grandmother was constantly in and out of hospitals. My grandmother had always been the shoulder I’d lean on during my worst days, so seeing her suffer and not knowing how to help her was painful. This was especially true after her amputation.
During one of the most difficult moments in my family's lives, what brought us hope was thinking about how far technology had come. We read a plethora of articles about how amputees could now easily reintegrate back into society with the help of bionic and mechanized prosthetics. Little did we know that these articles could be very misleading. One thing these articles typically fail to highlight is that this technology is not available to everyone. When the time had finally come for my grandmother to be fitted for a prosthetic, the prosthetist in Pakistan simply turned her away, saying her case was too severe to treat with the limited variety of prosthetics they had available.
This was when I truly understood the ever-so-prevalent disparities in the world today. Moreover, I learned that these issues disproportionately impact the Muslim community. So many Islamic countries today are plagued with war/turmoil, resulting in ill-equipped medical facilities and little to no funding for medical innovation. This was a realization that I never would have reached without my grandmother.
While this situation first left me with a dangerously negative outlook on life, I couldn’t help but notice my grandmother’s juxtaposed optimistic outlook, even with her difficult medical history. She explained to me that, while she could worry about what the future has to hold for her, she viewed worrying as falsely thinking Allah’s plan will not work. Doubting Allah’s plan is one of the most dangerous things we can do as Muslims. Thus, instead of worrying, we should channel this emotion into something positive. I wanted to help my grandmother and people struggling with the same things as my grandmother. Thus, I want to design low-cost, yet technologically advanced prosthetics for those with limited access to these facilities, and for those struggling with the extensive costs associated with them. I hope to open my own facilities in developing countries, particularly the Islamic countries whose innocent people are stricken with war and poverty. To achieve this goal, I am studying mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech while committing to a biomechanics concentration and minor in public policy. This scholarship would help put me on this path, as it would help fund my undergraduate journey. Though a college education is absolutely vital to make such an impact in the medical field, it is increasingly becoming less accessible to the average student, like me. I have been working towards funding my undergraduate education with the help of generous scholarship funds and well-paying jobs. I hope to use this scholarship to ease this financial burden and ensure every loan and fee gets paid off.