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Zoya Akhtar

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Bio

"you are beloved, the essence of stardust, no matter how muddy your shoes or heavy your heart." - Unknown Hello! One of my defining qualities is my determination and one goal I want to accomplish is becoming a nurse! Science is one of my favorite subjects and explaining different processes to my family and friends (such as breathing in and out, solvation, or blood clotting) makes me excited! I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing with the intention to work as a pediatric ER nurse. Nursing has captured my interest since I was 15 years old because the care that nurses provide can improve not just a patient's physical illness, but also lessen their internal fear and worry at their situation. My main wish is to be someone who can help change others' lives in a hospital setting! Thank you for vising my profile!

Education

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Bachelor's degree program
2022 - 2026
  • Majors:
    • Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing

Piscataway Township High School

High School
2018 - 2022
  • GPA:
    4

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Bachelor's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Test scores:

    • 1430
      SAT

    Career

    • Dream career field:

      Hospital & Health Care

    • Dream career goals:

      Nurse

    • Library Page

      John F. Kennedy Library (Piscataway, NJ)
      2018 – 20191 year
    • Assistant/Job Shadowing

      Gentle Family Dentistry
      2019 – 2019
    • Teaching Assistant/Volunteer

      MCMC Darul-Ihsaan (Tarbiyah Program)
      2021 – 20221 year

    Public services

    • Advocacy

      RWJBH Trauma Center Safety Ambassador Program — Safety Ambassador
      2022 – 2022
    • Advocacy

      RWJBH Trauma Center Safety Ambassador Program — Safety Ambassador
      2021 – 2021

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    "Forbidden Foods" Scholarship
    This January I completed a homework assignment for my anatomy class on allergies and anaphylaxis as part of our chapter on the immune system. Unbeknown to me, the day after completing that assignment I would be admitted into the hospital for anaphylaxis myself. I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I now carry an EpiPen with me wherever I go and hope that I never end up in a situation where I have to use it. Eating three tiny bites of fudge caused me to go into anaphylaxis; I do not know what kind of nut was in that fudge because the dessert shop did not put a list of ingredients on the box it came in. The possibility that maybe there were no nuts in the fudge itself, that instead maybe it simply touched another dessert that had nuts in it, is an even more worrying thought to me. I remember most of my hospitalization, especially the two nurses who cared for me. I told them that I wanted to be a nurse myself and they shared stories of their time in nursing school, promising to take amazing care of me so I could go to college too. This conversation further motivated me to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse because now I know what it feels like to be alone in a hospital bed wondering when I can go back home. I never want to feel that pain again and I do not want anyone else to feel that way either. This scholarship would go towards paying for nursing school so I can learn how to care for different medical conditions and graduate to one day work at a pediatric emergency room in a hospital. I want to challenge myself and work in an emergency room because I am drawn to this specialty’s fast-paced style. I currently volunteer at MCMC Darul-Ihsaan, a Sunday school, as a teaching assistant. Every morning the students gather in the cafeteria for morning assembly, where a guest speaker teaches them about the Quran for 30 minutes. One day the speaker brought in a candy bar that contained hazelnuts to give to children who answered her questions correctly. Seeing this alarmed me, as it brought up memories of my hospitalization. The children were not told that the candy contained hazelnuts and I wondered if any of them were allergic like I was. I shared my concerns with the assistant who was handing out pieces of the candy. The assistant told each child who received the candy that it had hazelnuts in it and that if they were allergic to it then we would give them a different candy next week instead. Once my students came into class I reminded them again to not eat the candy if they were allergic. Some of the students seemed confused as to why the staff kept reminding them of this, but I would rather they be informed than eat the candy just because it was candy. Health is something that everyone takes for granted and puts as their last priority in life. It is usually only when they get sick that they realize how important it is to take care of themselves. I was reading over my AP biology lab report as I ate that fudge in January and within a minute I had to leave the report on the table because my throat was closing up. This incident has taught me to look after myself and others because sometimes it can take less than a minute for an allergy to change your life forever.