I still enjoy all of these things today--they help me feel creative and inspired.
By the time I got to college at the University of Iowa, my curiosity about the world only grew. I chose to study International Studies and Human Rights, which let me dive into fascinating topics like global cultures and how countries protect people’s rights. One of the most exciting parts of my college journey was studying abroad in Jordan, where I learned about the Palestinian refugee crisis, and visiting Turkey to study the Syrian refugee crisis. These experiences opened my eyes to the challenges people face, how connected we all are and made me even more determined to see more of the world.
After I graduated from college in 2022, my family moved to Texas. Around the same time, my friend and I started a nonprofit organization to help people facing human rights challenges. Our first project raised over $80,000 through social media and provided 10,000 hygiene kits to refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo!
Even after starting the nonprofit, I still dreamed of traveling and working in another country. That’s when I decided to apply for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Fulbright is a really competitive program that gives people the chance to teach or research in different countries. When I found out I was selected, I could barely believe it--it felt like a dream come true!
I chose Indonesia because it is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, and I wanted to learn how Islam is practiced there. I also wanted to explore a new part of the world--I had already been to the Middle East, but I had never been to Southeast Asia.
