Bulls and bears aren't just animals. Within the past year, I've learned to take control of my finances and challenge myself to become more fiscally responsible than most at my age. I started trading in the stock market before all of the hype of GameStop and AMC Entertainment and I think it's important for everyone to know how to truly manage their money, rather than throwing it into the first trending stock. Reading articles, watching lectures online, and simple trial and error were all apart of my process in becoming a daily option trader. In the last three months, I've been able to double my capital in my portfolio. This information is easy to access and easy to absorb if one is committed. With so many money suckers in modern society, it is our responsibility to go out of our way to educate ourselves about our economy and make the system work in our favor. While others give away their money to brand new car payments, I choose to invest in a Roth IRA and start a credit line at 18. The lesson that I hope people would take away isn't about the stock market or organization, instead I hope they realize that personal finance isn't a complicated task to overcome. There are ways to avoid major debt, it is merely a choice for those who want to take the time to familiarize themselves with financial jargon. Individual motivation is one of the most major traits of those who are financially literate. One question between a money holder and a banker can lead down a path to becoming financially free. At the very least, it will impact personal finances for years in the future.

Social media. I know that sounds like the answer of a middle-aged person, but as a society we can't be naive and ignorant to the issues that come with our advanced technology. We have all of the history of yesterday and news of today in our hands at all times. Why wouldn't this be a great achievement? Because of the influx of information that constantly rushes past us, people have become overexposed and almost numb to the severity of worldly topics. The Black Lives Matter Movement was less of a movement and more like a trend, same goes for #MeToo or #FreePalestine. People are so concerned with ensuring their internet profile is "woke," yet neglect to solve real problems. We have to bring back the meaning to our news. Individuals can't be expect to fight for justice, end world hunger, and free the persecuted while giving them each the proper amount of respect and attention. Bringing an end to this exaggerated "educated" culture on social media would allow users to truly understand and research the issues at hand before posting a hashtag on Twitter. Technology has created a divisive environment, which has to be demolished. We are taught that everything that is said online will haunt a person for life, instilling a sense of fear within social media. This type of technology should encourage people to learn and expand on their mindsets. Screens don't make people less prone to mistakes, so we should learn to forgive. Diversifying social media as a ground for discussion, rather than simple opinions, builds a bridge for people across the world to appreciate and acknowledge each other. We can't continue to let social media be a toxic place where people aren't able to grow from their pasts, keeping an open mind is the best solution.

Black and blue bruises disguised by rustic red henna designs. The sobs of my mother covered by the gossip of aunties. I walked through parties every weekend and awed at the elegant saris, sparkling with foreign jewels. I was constantly being pulled to take pictures of the perfect families with never fading smiles, wondering why my mother and I only had selfies with each other. My entire childhood is shaped by memories like this. While my innocence focused on the fun of blowing bubbles and skipping rocks with my father, my logic recognized the pain he brought the family. For close to 12 years, I drove two hours a week to spend time with my father as he worked and lived in Canada and my mother and I survived in an apartment in Michigan. With this separation came loneliness and hardship. I could feel the distance grow between my family, even as we sat three feet apart from each other at the dinner table. The most challenging obstacle of our situation was to upkeep a happy facade. Desi culture isn’t appreciative of open discussions of abuse, whether physical or mental. Despite feeling suffocated by cultural standards, I still felt an unbreakable connection to my background that I couldn’t explain. It was a perpetual internal battle between my love and hate for my community. I couldn’t understand why my mother celebrated a culture that would turn its back on her if it knew about the abuse she faced at home. Yet, I felt like a hypocrite for holding my community so close to my heart while knowing the depth of its judgement. I didn’t feel impacted by the incessant arguing between my parents, instead I drowned in the seclusion created by the “don’t talk” nature of Desi culture. The turning point in my relationship with both my parents and my culture was a single night at my local mosque. By this time, my father was back in Michigan and we all lived together in a privileged neighborhood, but there was still a sense of disconnect that followed us to our new life. One thing that brought us together, however, were talks at the dinner table and one thing that Desi culture is reliable for is the spread of information through the expanse of the community with lightning speed. Specifically, one night came with troubling news of a Bengali boy’s heinous act of murder. Everyone was shocked and hundreds of people came together to pay respects to the victim with gaping mouths and quiet prayers. Soon after, it was found that the boy had mental health issues that drove him to a drug addiction and, ultimately, his vile deed. This prompted my mosque to host a seminar about mental health in the community. A simple discussion leveled the ground so that generations could finally see eye to eye with one another. It was the first event that opened a dialogue between my parents and I, so that I could finally understand the complexity of Asian-American cultural structures. Recently, it has become clear to me why my mother, a brave, educated woman, avoided talking about such important topics. While I understand her perspective, the stigma around abuse made my life confusing and I had to overcome personal struggles caused by my complicated relationship with culture. My own experience will teach me how to integrate Desi culture in a way that doesn’t isolate certain people or topics for future generations. My renewed perception of Desi culture has shaped me as a person today because of the insightful learning it has pushed me to endure. Now, henna designs will simply be enjoyable artistic activities, rather than a coverup, and gossip, rather than hurtful rumor spreading, will be based on pertinent topics of significance.

I'm not going to write a sob story for this scholarship. I don't have one. I know it's not what you're expecting to hear, but I choose to represent my true self in these applications. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, more students applying to this scholarship with their own financial struggles. I live a very privileged life and I can't deny it. I did grow up struggling as my mother raised me essentially as a single parent, but we've moved past that part of our lives. I support my own endeavors with my part time job and fulfill my basic needs with my minimum wage - not because I have to, but because I want to build my work experience as much as possible. I live comfortably, yet I have still found that pursuing a higher education is going to be another financial obstacle for me. My family has worked for years in order to find success in the middle class, however this means I don't receive any financial aid from the University of Michigan or FAFSA. We are the gray space between needing drastic financial aid and being able to easily afford university tuition. I've been a meticulous student for the past 12 years with the hopes of being able to attend my dream school and I finally made it. Now, my excitement to make changes in the world and achieve my goals are being swallowed by thoughts of how I will continue to pay for the next couple years. I can't receive much help from the government nor my family's salary and it feels like a trap. A trap to take out thousands of loans that will take me even more years to pay off. I have found scholarships to be my one true savior while I drown in tuition fees and work towards my future.

Myself. I promise I'm not a narcissist. I could lie and say my greatest inspiration in life is Gandhi or Malala. Most other people most likely accredited their motivation and passion to their family, friends, or teachers. Of course, all of these people inspire me and push me through my toughest times, but at the end of the day I am my greatest inspiration. My mother - an immigrant, raised a child almost entirely on her own, never having a stress free day. She's always been my role model. She's made it against all odds. Out of her poor farming village in Bangladesh to a privileged community in America. For years, I considered her as my greatest inspiration. It wasn't until recently that I realized she's more than her success. With her long work days came long days of my child-self waiting for her mother, making her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner because I didn't know any better and still getting yelled at for the mess left on the counter. It was the accumulation of these small actions and experiences that led me to believing that I could be enough for myself. My family has brought me so much pain and hardship and I was the one who pulled myself up. I know that if I was able to finish my school work in elementary school while driving between countries for my separated parents, then I should be able to work through all of my obstacles now. My drive comes from the little girl who was constantly on edge, always looking for an escape, and ultimately feeling as though education was the only true way out. I want to make her struggles worth it. I want her to know she didn't develop anxiety just to let panic attacks overtake her life and ruin her future. My passion to help children through my career path comes from the inspiration of myself as a blissfully unknowing little girl. I'll continue through my obstacles in order to make it worth it for my childhood that was ended far too quickly.

A sesame seed on a piece of bread. I’ve always felt like an outlier in almost every community I’ve been in. Growing up in so many places - New York, Windsor, Riverview, and now Troy, Michigan - I’ve had to attempt to find my own identity in a plethora of situations. All of these groups of people have treated me differently because of ethnicity, but the one component of myself that has been reliable is my religion. My religion is something that truly tests my own faith and is completely personal. As a Muslim in a Western society that paints Islam with such contempt, I know firsthand how difficult it is to come to terms with the community. While the media stands by its demonstration of this “violent” religion, I have found my place within the Muslim community by preaching peace. Rather than fighting fire with fire, I chose the route of education. Beginning high school, I realized that the Muslim youth often felt villainized and tried to hide their faith. I wanted to instill confidence in the younger community so that they could also find their own self-worth. With the help of my local mosque, I founded the AMDA Youth Branch and made our founding message a label of hope. The goal of this organization is to inspire kids to be proud of being Muslim along with having the resources to understand their background and why it is so important to their identity. Through these projects, I have learned so much about the complexities of practicing a religion in the modern world and my responsibility to educate others about these complexities. I choose to create a safe environment in my community in which outsiders and participants can explore such topics with the hopes of helping people be conscious of each other.