Value Education by Haji

Value Education by Haji - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

If there was one piece of advice I’d share with younger students is to value the resources of education they are provided with. It was in the summer of 2013 that truly made me realize how grateful I was to be given the resources and education I have. It was the first time I had visited my motherland, Pakistan, since I had migrated to the United States at two years old. Visiting my birthplace—for essentially the first time—had a monumental impact on my character altogether. It allowed me to perceive the world around me more effectively and through the lens of an absolutely vital quality: compassion.
I spent my time in Pakistan at my uncle’s extremely modest home in Lahore—a metropolitan hub that highlighted the extremes of wealth disparity to me. The lifestyle of many who I encountered during my stay was in stark contrast to the relatively lavish lifestyle many enjoy in the US. I remember taking to the streets in an effort to better understand the struggles which my people endured on a daily basis, and one of the most shocking difficulties I discovered was that seldom did the average Pakistani—my age—have anything but a measly morsel of bread a day. I later found out that even basic clothing was a privilege to many; all of this helped to broaden my worldview and ultimately aid in my understanding of the world. The most vivid memory I have however, is of a young girl with her mother in the scorching hot sun begging so that her daughter can be enrolled in school.
Fortunately, everyday my mom gave me 1,000 rupees, which translates to $10 in U.S dollars to go “explore the city”. Thus, the first day I decided to give the daughter 500 rupees. The “daughter's” name was Fatima. I continued this practice everyday. I was scheduled to be in Pakistan for a month and then on my 28th day there I got a surprise. My mom gave me 1,000 rupees again to go explore the city and like always I went across the street where Fatima and her mother sat. However, this time the mother was there but Fatima was not. I was very confused and honestly terrified. I thought something terrible had happened. But then out of nowhere I start to hear someone screaming “ami”(meaning mom in Urdu). I turned around and saw Fatima in a nice and clean school uniform, as she finally got a chance to enroll into a school and get an education. Personally, it was the most jaw-dropping and touching moment I have ever experienced in my life. Just being part of such a moment was incredible and definitely made my trip to Pakistan worth it.
However, this trip also made me realize that children were often deprived of a basic right they deserved and needed to have: the access to an education. And this was by no means an anomaly, rather this was the norm. For how can they escape this utterly gruesome cycle of poverty? How can anyone find mobility in the socioeconomic ladder without an education? It was at that moment, that I realized how truly blessed I am to have all the resources I have available to me in the US. Therefore, I urge all younger students to take advantage of this privilege that is given to us here.