What Makes Me Who I Am Today

It is incredible how social environment and background play such a big role in a person's holistic development. Each decision is a wave that develops into a tsunami, and eventually floods a person’s future with opportunities. I am certain that my background, culture, and family have all influenced my life in a positive manner and made me who I am today. My background is the most intriguing. I am one-third American, one-third Indian, and one-third Pakistani. In other words, I was born in America, my mom in India, and my dad in Pakistan. It was difficult to incorporate my Muslim heritage into American society. As a young child, I learned about Islam, specifically the religion, culture, traditions, lifestyle, and language. I easily learned it all and became more of a well-rounded person, but I didn’t know there was something outside of my household traditions, something I had never encountered before. American society and culture were so different from my own. My parents helped me adjust by teaching me basic English and enrolling me in a private school. Initially, the transition

Urdu and English share few similarities, and I struggled through my English classes because of it. In seventh grade, my parents sought out tutoring for me. Just when I thought I was finally reaching my potential as a student, I entered the unforgiving world of high school. What was previously considered adequate, was now deficient. The hurdles didn’t stop me, though, and I was on top of my game, analyzing literature and grammar at the highest-level midway through freshman year. And my evolution was not only limited to English class. Throughout high school, I embraced leadership through extracurricular programs such as robotics, Lego League, Key Club, and community service. My three years in the pre-engineering track and two years of architecture classes have given me a solid background in these fields as