MUSE TECHNOLOGIES
Reflective Essay
Personal Qualities
Something I can do easily is interact with others and socialize. I find that socializing brings new opportunities your way and helps you in the future. Things I would do to be more social with my school is join multiple clubs and committees, because I love to hear the views of others and it makes my views more refined. Such as being a part of the Spirit Committee, you get to work with others to make the rest of the school become more spiritual at hard times. I enjoy planning things which is why the Spirit Committee was fun. I also met new people and bonded with them over my love for planning school events.
Another reason I am a social person is because I love giving back to the community. It makes me feel good when others are feeling happy. It brings my own happiness up, knowing I can make even the slightest difference in someone’s day. I have been in multiple clubs and committees, such as Black Student Union, Finance Committee, and the PA committee. Black Student Union is about bringing awareness about things revolving around the African American community and making sure they are heard. And the other committees are about making sure the stability in our school is constant. I love attending meetings and feeling important to others while also making others feel important. I have volunteered at Elementary schools, since I was in 6th grade and have loved to help others even if it is just with homework. Being social is a really important quality in many others, and I feel I portray it really well.
One thing I believe everyone should try to achieve or have is honesty. I remember struggling with it in middle school, acting out and never caring about others besides myself. I only wanted things to benefit me, since I never felt like anyone showed me any acts of kindness. But as I grew older I started to realize the acts of kindness all around me and always felt obliged to give back. But now, the only way I feel satisfied by myself is by being helpful to others and standing for what I believe in. I am not biased towards anything and make sure I form my own opinions with others approval. I find it hard to live in a society where you have to rely on others opinions to form your own. I think making sure you have a solid foundation makes you very powerful.
As someone who has experienced hate and racism, I know the importance of honesty and justice that needs to be shown in the world. I have done multiple things, such as bringing awareness to situations by protesting, posting petitions, and speaking on issues to an audience. I feel like speaking up is something that I need to do in order to feel change in the world. Justice is one of my only life goals and makes me feel like I can make a difference.
As I said before, giving back to others is what I want to do in the future. At the moment, I don’t know what career path I want to take, but I do know that that career will have something to do with bringing justice to the world. Whether it is a social worker or lawyer, I want to make a difference. I recognized the needs of others because I know how it feels to need something from others as well. With the little I can do at my age, such as not being able to vote, I try to do the things I’m limited with. Speaking out on social media platforms and making sure that I am heard is one way I give back. I guess you could call that Selflessness, since I’m not really one to only care about myself. I think I can only take care of myself by taking care of others. An example of that is the whole reason I am graduating early. I want to be able to go out of the country this summer to stay with my grandparents and take care of them for some time. I feel like my grandparents have done so much for others such as myself that helping them and taking care of them is one of the most important things in my life.
I feel that all my important life goals revolve around other people. Whether it is around my parents and grandparents, the Muslim community, or just the world.
New Basics
Communication is one of the things I can never let go of. Since I was born in America, my first language was English, but ever since I was little I was in Arabic schools on weekends to learn two languages at once. Growing up American and with a hijab on, everyone assumed my only language I knew was Arabic. Speaking English always surprised people when I moved schools. I found it funny at first but then understood why they assumed I didn’t speak English. I always felt uncomfortable so I always try to make it known by speaking English all the time, till the point where I started forgetting Arabic. I took Arabic later on after and I still take Arabic schools once in a while to remind myself not to forget. Knowing Arabic though has gotten me to so many places. I would help translate for people ever since I was in Elementary school and I always felt that knowing more than one language is cool (since it is).
When I arrived in high school I took on another language, which is Spanish. I took it for two years and now I have a general understanding of the language, I can finally say that I know three languages. It's such a unique thing to know the communication of others. I find it helpful in some situations when I’m communicating with people who speak the languages I now understand, such as Spanish and Arabic. Some people find speaking in a language other than English is weird and start to be judgmental, but I find the racism that comes with the judgments makes me want to embrace it even more. Proving to others how useful other languages are is something I try to bring awareness to once on a while. I love learning new languages and I even plan on taking on a new language when I have the time, such as sign language!
Another attribute I exhibit is the quality of Art. I have always drawn ever since I was a little kid. Just like others that draw and paint, it's a form of expressing yourself. I feel so calm when I draw, especially when it is for others. I feel like drawing others makes me feel like I made a difference. It doesn’t have to be a big difference, but even the smallest things can make me happy.
Whenever there is a project that requires any form of art, I get really excited to do it. Or even making posters or anything for the school makes me so happy because I can apply a skill I’m very passionate about to my everyday life. I especially love using art to represent my culture. One thing I’m good at is henna. Using culture in my art makes me feel closer to who I am. I do henna on arms most of the time and I love doing it on others. It’s like representing the culture I was born with. Or painting pictures of Mosques also express my life. I was given the opportunity to use my paintings in an auction where all the money goes to a charity that will help starving kids in Yemen. It was an amazing opportunity that made me love art even more. Unfortunately the virus has temporarily stopped the event, but knowing that my art can be used to help others is what matters the most.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
When it comes to learning and using that knowledge I think I’m really fast at it. Once something is explained to me, I can almost always be able to have confidence in trying it out for the first time. Applying what I learn is what life is about it’s how you grow and it helps me feel like I have a growth mindset which is a good thing to strive for. It’s a way to push myself into doing more. Once I am taught something I think it’s easier to actually apply it then it was learning about it.
I think I exemplify systematic thinking mostly because I know how much an action must be thought out before. I don’t create or take action on anything without thinking before on the positive and negative impacts it can have. I also think about what I would need to do to be able to do that specific thing.
An example of that I can think of was my event that I had planned for months last year for the last day of school. After thinking out the idea, I made sure to understand thoroughly on what impact it will make, the benefits, the approvals, materials, price, date, etc. Nothing is as easy as just doing it on the spot. It took months of preparation to finally be able to start. Unfortunately due to COVID, I wasn’t able to do the event since we went into quarantine, but it just shows the thought I put into something before actually putting that plan into action.
Interpersonal Abilities
I’m very confident in my leadership skills. I’ve been in leadership before, and ran a small group class just like the rest of leadership. I’ve always loved the idea of authority. I think having a great leader in any situation is one of the keys to stability. I had an Arabic class once in 9th grade. Teaching 2 classes of Arabic was very fun. I’m good at communicating with others and directing them towards the right way. I’ve been in leadership positions since I was in middle school. I was a leader for incoming middle school students, and even during high school I have directed many incoming freshman to our school.
Leading stuff is a great experience, especially with having the motivation to lead something. I always feel at my best when I am leading since it makes me feel needed in a way. It makes me feel good knowing that I am helping and motivating others and at the same time they are my motivation.
Coming from a cultural background I know how important diversity is in life. In my middle school I don’t really remember the representation of diversity anywhere. But when I arrived to high school I noticed the importance in acknowledging diversity and I want to help with it. I was a part of the Black Student Union and helped bring diversity for the black community at ACLC. As an Arab, I wanted to represent myself as well, so I held an Arabic class to bring more representation. I think it’s important to be able to confidently be yourself around an environment that will accept you, which is why make sure that I work with diversity is something important to me.
Technology
I don’t believe technology is a strong trait of mine but I think I’m really fast at learning things. Technology has never been a passion of mine but I don’t think it’s hard. We use technology everyday and especially during quarantine since we are in school virtually. We’ve always used technology whether it was in assignments or emailing teachers. But being able to apply technology into other needs is really beneficial.
As head of the Spirit Committee this year, it’s been weird adjusting into an online spirit atmosphere. I had to use my knowledge on technology to make sure we have fun spirit weeks even from our homes. Making online posters was one way I applied technology to benefit what I wanted to ensure the spirit of the school is kept during hard times.
As I said before, once you know how to use technology, applying it is easier than you thought. I remember when I made my first online Google form to give to others. I had no experience and felt so intimidated by it for some reason. But just after learning and fixing mistakes, I wasn’t anxious making technological mistakes and started using more resources using technology.
Something I can do easily is interact with others and socialize. I find that socializing brings new opportunities your way and helps you in the future. Things I would do to be more social with my school is join multiple clubs and committees, because I love to hear the views of others and it makes my views more refined. Such as being a part of the Spirit Committee, you get to work with others to make the rest of the school become more spiritual at hard times. I enjoy planning things which is why the Spirit Committee was fun. I also met new people and bonded with them over my love for planning school events.
Another reason I am a social person is because I love giving back to the community. It makes me feel good when others are feeling happy. It brings my own happiness up, knowing I can make even the slightest difference in someone’s day. I have been in multiple clubs and committees, such as Black Student Union, Finance Committee, and the PA committee. Black Student Union is about bringing awareness about things revolving around the African American community and making sure they are heard. And the other committees are about making sure the stability in our school is constant. I love attending meetings and feeling important to others while also making others feel important. I have volunteered at Elementary schools, since I was in 6th grade and have loved to help others even if it is just with homework. Being social is a really important quality in many others, and I feel I portray it really well.
One thing I believe everyone should try to achieve or have is honesty. I remember struggling with it in middle school, acting out and never caring about others besides myself. I only wanted things to benefit me, since I never felt like anyone showed me any acts of kindness. But as I grew older I started to realize the acts of kindness all around me and always felt obliged to give back. But now, the only way I feel satisfied by myself is by being helpful to others and standing for what I believe in. I am not biased towards anything and make sure I form my own opinions with others approval. I find it hard to live in a society where you have to rely on others opinions to form your own. I think making sure you have a solid foundation makes you very powerful.
As someone who has experienced hate and racism, I know the importance of honesty and justice that needs to be shown in the world. I have done multiple things, such as bringing awareness to situations by protesting, posting petitions, and speaking on issues to an audience. I feel like speaking up is something that I need to do in order to feel change in the world. Justice is one of my only life goals and makes me feel like I can make a difference.
As I said before, giving back to others is what I want to do in the future. At the moment, I don’t know what career path I want to take, but I do know that that career will have something to do with bringing justice to the world. Whether it is a social worker or lawyer, I want to make a difference. I recognized the needs of others because I know how it feels to need something from others as well. With the little I can do at my age, such as not being able to vote, I try to do the things I’m limited with. Speaking out on social media platforms and making sure that I am heard is one way I give back. I guess you could call that Selflessness, since I’m not really one to only care about myself. I think I can only take care of myself by taking care of others. An example of that is the whole reason I am graduating early. I want to be able to go out of the country this summer to stay with my grandparents and take care of them for some time. I feel like my grandparents have done so much for others such as myself that helping them and taking care of them is one of the most important things in my life.
I feel that all my important life goals revolve around other people. Whether it is around my parents and grandparents, the Muslim community, or just the world.
New Basics
Communication is one of the things I can never let go of. Since I was born in America, my first language was English, but ever since I was little I was in Arabic schools on weekends to learn two languages at once. Growing up American and with a hijab on, everyone assumed my only language I knew was Arabic. Speaking English always surprised people when I moved schools. I found it funny at first but then understood why they assumed I didn’t speak English. I always felt uncomfortable so I always try to make it known by speaking English all the time, till the point where I started forgetting Arabic. I took Arabic later on after and I still take Arabic schools once in a while to remind myself not to forget. Knowing Arabic though has gotten me to so many places. I would help translate for people ever since I was in Elementary school and I always felt that knowing more than one language is cool (since it is).
When I arrived in high school I took on another language, which is Spanish. I took it for two years and now I have a general understanding of the language, I can finally say that I know three languages. It's such a unique thing to know the communication of others. I find it helpful in some situations when I’m communicating with people who speak the languages I now understand, such as Spanish and Arabic. Some people find speaking in a language other than English is weird and start to be judgmental, but I find the racism that comes with the judgments makes me want to embrace it even more. Proving to others how useful other languages are is something I try to bring awareness to once on a while. I love learning new languages and I even plan on taking on a new language when I have the time, such as sign language!
Another attribute I exhibit is the quality of Art. I have always drawn ever since I was a little kid. Just like others that draw and paint, it's a form of expressing yourself. I feel so calm when I draw, especially when it is for others. I feel like drawing others makes me feel like I made a difference. It doesn’t have to be a big difference, but even the smallest things can make me happy.
Whenever there is a project that requires any form of art, I get really excited to do it. Or even making posters or anything for the school makes me so happy because I can apply a skill I’m very passionate about to my everyday life. I especially love using art to represent my culture. One thing I’m good at is henna. Using culture in my art makes me feel closer to who I am. I do henna on arms most of the time and I love doing it on others. It’s like representing the culture I was born with. Or painting pictures of Mosques also express my life. I was given the opportunity to use my paintings in an auction where all the money goes to a charity that will help starving kids in Yemen. It was an amazing opportunity that made me love art even more. Unfortunately the virus has temporarily stopped the event, but knowing that my art can be used to help others is what matters the most.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
When it comes to learning and using that knowledge I think I’m really fast at it. Once something is explained to me, I can almost always be able to have confidence in trying it out for the first time. Applying what I learn is what life is about it’s how you grow and it helps me feel like I have a growth mindset which is a good thing to strive for. It’s a way to push myself into doing more. Once I am taught something I think it’s easier to actually apply it then it was learning about it.
I think I exemplify systematic thinking mostly because I know how much an action must be thought out before. I don’t create or take action on anything without thinking before on the positive and negative impacts it can have. I also think about what I would need to do to be able to do that specific thing.
An example of that I can think of was my event that I had planned for months last year for the last day of school. After thinking out the idea, I made sure to understand thoroughly on what impact it will make, the benefits, the approvals, materials, price, date, etc. Nothing is as easy as just doing it on the spot. It took months of preparation to finally be able to start. Unfortunately due to COVID, I wasn’t able to do the event since we went into quarantine, but it just shows the thought I put into something before actually putting that plan into action.
Interpersonal Abilities
I’m very confident in my leadership skills. I’ve been in leadership before, and ran a small group class just like the rest of leadership. I’ve always loved the idea of authority. I think having a great leader in any situation is one of the keys to stability. I had an Arabic class once in 9th grade. Teaching 2 classes of Arabic was very fun. I’m good at communicating with others and directing them towards the right way. I’ve been in leadership positions since I was in middle school. I was a leader for incoming middle school students, and even during high school I have directed many incoming freshman to our school.
Leading stuff is a great experience, especially with having the motivation to lead something. I always feel at my best when I am leading since it makes me feel needed in a way. It makes me feel good knowing that I am helping and motivating others and at the same time they are my motivation.
Coming from a cultural background I know how important diversity is in life. In my middle school I don’t really remember the representation of diversity anywhere. But when I arrived to high school I noticed the importance in acknowledging diversity and I want to help with it. I was a part of the Black Student Union and helped bring diversity for the black community at ACLC. As an Arab, I wanted to represent myself as well, so I held an Arabic class to bring more representation. I think it’s important to be able to confidently be yourself around an environment that will accept you, which is why make sure that I work with diversity is something important to me.
Technology
I don’t believe technology is a strong trait of mine but I think I’m really fast at learning things. Technology has never been a passion of mine but I don’t think it’s hard. We use technology everyday and especially during quarantine since we are in school virtually. We’ve always used technology whether it was in assignments or emailing teachers. But being able to apply technology into other needs is really beneficial.
As head of the Spirit Committee this year, it’s been weird adjusting into an online spirit atmosphere. I had to use my knowledge on technology to make sure we have fun spirit weeks even from our homes. Making online posters was one way I applied technology to benefit what I wanted to ensure the spirit of the school is kept during hard times.
As I said before, once you know how to use technology, applying it is easier than you thought. I remember when I made my first online Google form to give to others. I had no experience and felt so intimidated by it for some reason. But just after learning and fixing mistakes, I wasn’t anxious making technological mistakes and started using more resources using technology.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Raphael Perez Israeli Artist