I live in a painting. My world is a piece of abstract art; I will not change the colors, I will not change the lines. The only thing that I will change is the interpretation and meaning of that abstract painting.
I come from the Muslim world. I will not change the colors; I will not change the values; I will not change the lines; I will not change the principles. In my world, my duties are to worship God and to make the earth a better place to live. My parents brought me up in the religion that emphasizes honesty, kindness, respect, and kinship. Islam is my guidebook, it shows me the red lines I should keep away from, such as dishonesty, violence, and cheating, but leave my creativity and imagination to determine which way I choose to follow the rules. I choose to build the earth in a way compatible with my interests. I choose to use my knowledge to bring out the new and the beneficial. I choose to pursue my education in chemical engineering to solve problems and to have a background in the science that will help me come up with and make inventions that will hopefully improve my community’s and surroundings’ conditions. I’ve already started with my attempts to create things and to give better alternatives. With better education and a higher degree, my ideas will reach to a higher standard; I will then be able to fulfill my duty as a Muslim.
The painting I live in will never change. The only variables are others’ perspectives and their interpretations. Unfortunately, the media has a strong influence on many classes in diverse communities and has shot the painting from an angle which shows the flaws in the painting caused by the others living in the painting. The media captures Muslims who don’t represent their religion, and leaves out the angle that shows what Islam is all about. My dream is to filter the camera lens of the media and to adjust the angle. My open-mindedness and interaction with others on an international level will always proliferate my individual efforts to tell the world that I am a Muslim and I am peaceful. I have been misjudged, misinterpreted, and misunderstood. This, however, can be changed. For the way someone understands the meaning of an abstract painting changes according to the mindset of the observer, and the factors that may affect how he sees it.
Even if I stay away from home, I’ll always belong to that painting. It never depended on where I am, but on what I believe in. I believe in God; I believe in justice; I believe in positive change; I believe in peace; and I believe in myself.
(College app essay)
