My name is Rayann Hisham Ali. I am a Muslim, first generation Sudanese-American junior at the University of St. Thomas pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. I aim to work in the renewable energy industry specializing in solar and wind power transmission. In the past couple of years, since I moved to the US ironically, I have seen my Muslim identity grow stronger and centralize in my life. Since moving to the US in 2020, I started to realize the unique and often lonely experience of being a Muslim in the west. I realized that with the pace of life here, especially as a student, my Islamic education had almost come to a stop. So I took it upon myself to start attending Friday prayer weekly. Though, as a woman, I am not obligated to, I feel this to be my duty. This is the way for me to connect with the Muslim community wherever I am, to learn and be reminded of my faith in Khutbas and remain in touch with my inner peace, for it is truly on the carpet of the masjid on a Friday afternoon that I feel my heart and thoughts slow down to a peaceful rhythm. Furthermore, to keep in touch with my Muslim identity, whenever I am off-campus and available, I participate and attend potlucks, sisters’ youth sessions, and donation events at the masjid. It is my home away from home. In 2020, I left my family in Sudan and moved to Minnesota to pursue my education. I left after my freshman year at the University of Khartoum because Sudan was becoming so politically unstable (and unsafe) that school had shut down indefinitely. In a way, I wanted to start my career so I can help my family. In Minnesota, I enrolled in community college while I figured out financials since I was committed to not getting into debt, because of the normalized system of usury in the west. At the same time, I worked on transferring my international credits to the University of St. Thomas, where I finally started this spring. I thought I had finally reached a level of stability, but then came the war and displacement of my family and worrying for every person I have ever known. On April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan. Four weeks before my finals, I watched the displacement of everyone I knew. I could only breathe and focus on my exams when my family got to Egypt safely. Nonetheless, I was able to score 96% and above on all my finals and maintain a high GPA. When I was supposed to be done with my minor by the end of this summer, I spent it helping my family become adjust to being displaced in Egypt. In terms of life goals, being Muslim has given me quite a few recently My top priority has now become helping my family migrate to the US. And because, I have become hyper-aware of the unique challenges Muslim, black and female students face, I plan to launch a fund dedicated to scholarships, mentorship, and counseling for these youth. I also plan to write a book one day, sharing my experiences, and shedding light on how to survive hard things through faith, perseverance, and healing by fostering community. Half of the profits from this book will go towards a bi-annual emergency scholarship fund for students in crisis. Winning this scholarship would help me pay for housing and book fees. Thank you for considering me.

I was in Sudan for the first time since I started school in the US when Mohammed passed away, may Allah bless his soul. I would like to start by extending my deepest condolences to his family and expressing my grief; his loss had a ripple effect around Sudan, and though I did not know him personally, I still felt the effect his loss had among common friends, family, and somehow also on a personal level. His character and spirit were admirable and he will not be forgotten. My name is Rayann Hisham Ali. I am a first-generation Sudanese-American junior at the University of St. Thomas pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. I aim to work in the renewable energy industry specializing in solar and wind power transmission. As a Muslim, black, African, woman in STEM, I think my sense of being an up-stander manifests in each aspect of my identity, especially as a Sudanese woman. Being an up-stander is a trait I developed at an early age; one I credit to my Sudanese and my Muslim identity. I was taught that one must stand up for what is right at all times. As a Sudanese resident in 2019, I considered myself a revolutionary. Activism was not a choice at that time, we were simply doing our duty to our country in the hope of a better, more ethical, civilian-led Sudan. Now, since the war broke out, I am inspired by the people I have seen stay in Sudan to enlist and fight: people from my own family and friends circle. The war was a depressing outcome, but it is not the end: I continue to stand up for Sudan using my voice and social media platforms, contacting senators, sharing fundraisers, and simply by not losing hope. When assessed on a communal level, these seemingly small acts are highly probable to cause positive change. I stand up for Sudan by doing everything in my power, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. In 2020, I left my family in Sudan and moved to Minnesota to pursue my education. I left after my freshman year at the University of Khartoum because Sudan was becoming so politically unstable (and unsafe) that school had shut down indefinitely. In a way, I wanted to start my career so I can help my family and in turn my country. In Minnesota, I enrolled in community college while I figured out financials and worked on transferring my international credits to the University of St. Thomas, where I finally started this spring. I thought I had finally reached a level of stability, but then came the war and displacement of my family and worrying for every person I have ever known. In terms of life goals, being Sudanese has given me quite a few recently My top priority has now become helping my family migrate to the US. And because I have become hyper-aware of the unique challenges black and African students face, I plan to launch a fund dedicated to scholarships, mentorship, and counseling for black youth, prioritizing Sudanese youth. I also plan to write a book one day, sharing my experiences, and shedding light on how to survive hard things through faith, perseverance, and healing by fostering community. Half of the profits from this book will go towards a bi-annual emergency scholarship fund for students in crisis since I know how hard it is. Winning this scholarship would help me pay for housing and book fees. Thank you for considering me.

When I started school in January, my volunteering activity with Feeding Frogtown, a food rescue initiative, was reduced because of my rigorous class schedule. One Friday, I was contacted on extremely short notice with a message, “We need you, no one else can fill in.” I was picked up on the truck from my dorm at 6 am in freezing weather. We were working in double time, trying to make it to as many stops as we can to pick up food that would otherwise be discarded in a month or even less. I was dropped back just in time to make it to my 9 am Engineering Mechanics lecture. Later at 6 pm, I headed down to the “shelf” --a community center’s gymnasium-- to help out since we were still short-staffed. It was a good thing, too, because lots of people showed up to grab free groceries. I watched a woman exclaim in joy and then sob for quite a while just because she had found her favorite type of pasta available. That day, I met a new guy on the team; his name was Jacobo. Jacobo barely spoke English, so no one on the team could really converse with him. I introduced myself to him in Spanish and we had quite the chat while we ripped up empty boxes and filled the recycle bin to the brim. He told me about his life in the US, how had two little daughters, and he worked crazy hours to support them. When I told him I was studying to become a mechanical engineer he was perplexed, and thought that I meant mechanic. It was hilarious. Even though that day was long and exhausting, I returned to my dorm feeling light-hearted and happy. It reminded me of all the reasons I loved volunteering: helping people, connecting, and taking small actions that could cause a major change to someone’s mood—or life. I never imagined my summer to go the way it did. Just when I had transferred from community college to a 4-year institution to pursue my dream of working in the clean and renewable energy industry. On April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan, my country of origin where I had grown up and where my family permanently resided. Four weeks before my finals, I watched the displacement of everyone I knew. I could only breathe and focus on my exams when my family got to Egypt safely. Nonetheless, I was able to score 96% and above on all my finals and maintain a high GPA. When I was supposed to be done with my minor by the end of this summer, I spent it helping my family adjust in Egypt and seeing my father off as he went back to enlist in Sudan—a truly surreal experience. If I get it, this scholarship will arrive just in time to cover my housing expenses for the semester. Furthermore, these funds would go toward relieving my financial stress –and in turn my mental stress-- as I navigate this new reality. It would grant me peace of mind to focus on my heavy load of 4 classes and four labs this semester. Finally, it will grant me time to juggle the process of my family’s immigration while maintaining academic excellence, working on campus, and seeking internships. And of course, this will help me achieve my greater goal of breaking into the energy industry, supporting my family, writing my book, and launching my own scholarship, mentorship, and counseling fund for black youth in crisis. Thank you for considering me.

My name is Rayann Hisham Ali. I am a first generation Sudanese-American junior at the University of St. Thomas pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. I aim to work in the renewable energy industry, specializing in solar and wind power transmission. I come from a family that values education above all else and my journey to the United States can attest to that. My family’s journey to the US began this summer with my petition for their immigration. On April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan. Four weeks before finals, I watched the displacement of everyone I knew. I could only focus on my exams when my family got to Egypt safely. Nonetheless, I was able to score 96% and above on all my finals and maintain a high GPA. When I was supposed to be done with my minor by the end of this summer, I spent it helping my family seek refuge in Egypt and seeing my father off as he went back to enlist. In 2020, I left my family in Sudan and moved to Minnesota to pursue my education. I left after my freshman year at the University of Khartoum because Sudan was becoming so politically unstable (and unsafe) that school had shut down indefinitely. In Minnesota, I enrolled in community college while I figured out financials and worked on transferring my international credits to the University of St. Thomas where I started this spring. This scholarship would help me with housing as I continue to persevere for this academically rigorous degree. One day, I hope to write a book about my experiences on how to survive difficult things and healing through culture and community. Half the profits will fund a bi-annual emergency scholarship for students in my position.