Growing up living within 15 minutes of my Sito’s house has been a true blessing. We would always go there for dinner, to sled ride down her hill during the winter, for Easter egg hunts in her yard, for sleepovers, or just to hangout. Growing up with an immigrant grandmother also exposed me to learning about events, cultural ideas, or history about countries in the Middle East. When I reached high school, I found myself extremely interested in Middle Eastern countries and affairs. My Sito and Dad (her son) would frequently talk about issues going on in the Middle East at the dinner table. I can remember moments in history when deadly events would take place in Lebanon or Syria and my Sito becoming very sad and upset and my Dad would tell my sister and I to call her. This exposure to someone who physically, emotionally, and mentally felt for the people of Middle Eastern countries instilled empathy in me too. I began to surround myself in news outlets that focused on the Middle East. I slowly realized that, not a lot of eurocentric news companies even report on the area, except for major events. It made me angry. This area is constantly in periods of unrest, and with many countries’ governments identifying with religions, there is often a disappointing amount of human rights violations in countries. Not only did I recognize the lack of reporting, I recognized the lack of people in this country who even know ANYTHING about the Middle East. Most people do not even view countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia as countries in the “Middle East.” They do not even know of the term, and instead see these countries as part of Africa or Asia, despite the fact that these countries share similar cultural values.

As I came to more and more of these realizations, I knew I wanted to do something, or say something, about these feelings that were burning inside me. In the beginning of my senior year of highschool, I saw news reportings regarding the death of an Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini. She was arrested and killed for not wearing her head scarf correctly. I started to keep up with the protests and political unrest following her death. I frequently engaged in conversation about the issue with my Dad and Sito. When it came time to decide my AP Human Geography research paper topic, I immediately knew. I wrote my paper about Iran, the current protests, and the theocratic government in place. It’s the best paper I’ve ever written. In writing this paper, I began to talk to my friends about it. I realized that actually, I was educating them. They had not heard any part of what I was talking about. Coming into college, I’ve continued to write about Iran, and keep up with the Middle East as a whole, especially considering the current war between Israel and Palestine. I realized that I could study this. And so now, I plan to minor in Middle Eastern studies, learn Arabic, and travel to Middle Eastern countries. A personal part of me, my Sito and her heritage, has literally influenced my political attitude. crazy. and awesome.