The Dangerous Unknown by Hafso

The Dangerous Unknown by Hafso - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

When I say I was "sheltered" from the world, people assume that to mean that I was a spoiled kid. On the contrary, I grew up on food stamps and my mother worked on assembly lines for a minimum wage. When I say "sheltered", I'm referring to how I was segregated from the outside world. My mother worked hard to reduce our interactions with people who didn't share our culture or religion. A part of this came from her fear of others. She assumed that our hijabs and brown skin would make us targets in public schools. As a result, she took us to charter schools where everyone spoke our language and shared our religion. My mother knew that these charter schools lacked access to quality education, but she was more afraid of her children losing their culture and language. Our neighborhood was also predominantly black and Muslim. We went to shops that catered to our ethnic clothes and food. Even though I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I was stuck in this small cultural sphere that restricted me from seeing anyone who didn't think, act, or look like me. The only escape from this small world was achieved through books and fiction.

When I started taking college classes at the local university, it was like experiencing a new world. I really enjoyed English classes, where students shared their personal views on readings. Although it was often hard to get used to the different cultures, I didn't fear racism or discrimination, and I enjoyed the diversity of the environment. That year helped me grow more as a person than the past fifteen years.

I see studying abroad for a breath of fresh air. It's an opportunity for me to explore a new culture, language, and religion. I want to become a well-rounded person who is educated on the views and cultures of others. I think the more aware people are of the outside world, the more intelligent they are. College is an opportunity for me to grow intellectually and I think studying abroad would contribute to my growth.

My experience as a child and the fear that hindered my mom is something I would like to avoid. As a result, I want to meet new people, places, foods, and ideas to reduce the fear of the unknown. I don't want to be limited by my own fears of prejudice. Studying abroad is an opportunity for me to get rid of those fears and immerse myself in beautiful cultures.