I felt my palms sweating and my face turning red as I looked at the blurred words on the page. I sensed the eyes of others burning holes through my skin; no escaping from this, not this time. My voice stuttered as I tried to sound out the words that echoed throughout the classroom. I wished I was invisible. Until sixth grade, I hid my inability to read. I tucked myself in a corner during silent reading time pretending to read, timing when I needed to flip to the next page to make it look like I was reading. My inability to read significantly impacted my academic performance. I held myself back, because that meant I had to expose my secret. I barely passed my classes and each year I entered into my next grade not …show more content…
Administration in our school often gave us trouble when we tried to establish new events in the school or grow as a group. Students criticized the club constantly for not being good enough or to their standards even though we are one of the most successful clubs in the school. I personally had trouble aligning myself with the Muslim student association because people could not wrap their head around the fact that I was a catholic running a Muslim club and that I was there to be an ally and learn from them. Despite all the push back I received the club I established flourished in the school. We now have five annual events that are now part of the school traditions, including an event that was recognized by the local newspaper in my community. The event is called Modesty Week, we allow the people in our school to try on the hijab, a cover up worn by Muslim women for modesty, and wear the scarf all day or all week, for the opportunity to experience the daily life of a hijab wearing Muslim women. The article discusses my experience wearing the hijab in public and how I was changing cultural stereotypes with my program. How can I add in pieces of the actual …show more content…
I studied hard to improve my reading and writing skills. I register for advanced classes whenever available. I take advantage of after school learning opportunities such as community service, science lab and extra language classes. I became a leader in my school community, which made me stronger, more creative and more driven. I am now the leader of the black student union and Muslim student association; I also participate in various other extracurricular activities and various community programs. Currently, I continue to maintain my honor status and I remain focused on my dream of becoming a surgeon. In third grade I was the only student who did not possess the ability to read, in high school I was a catholic student who established a Muslim program in my school, and throughout my whole life I have been a black and Latina female. Throughout my whole life I have been a minority, I never let my circumstances hold me back from what I desired to