I'm from, like, the smallest town you can imagine.
So this is like a complete culture shock,
and it's amazing.
So I really wanted to come here.
I wanted to be on grounds.
I wanted to be a UVA student.
I thought it was a long shot.
So I just applied.
It was really exciting.
[LAUGHS]
The first word I read was "congratulations." (CRYING)
And I just jumped up and started crying.
I was so happy.
It was always a priority for me.
I always did well in school.
I always wanted to-- I always knew
I was going to go to college.
I was college-bound.
According to all the teachers and everyone,
I was college-bound.
But in my household, it was a little different.
I'm paying for my own college.
And I'm out of state, so it just wasn't going to be
able to happen, most likely.
And I got a phone call from someone wanting
to talk to me about the scholarship. (LAUGHING)
And I didn't know what she was talking about.
And it was really exciting to me and my family.
There's a chance I might not be able to be here without it.
Having that stress off of me, it helps me focus
on what I actually want to do.
It opens up all of the doors.
So if I want to go to PA school, I
want to go to med school or nutrition grad school, that
can still be an option.
I'm majoring in kinesiology.
It's going to involve a lot of research, a lot of research
opportunities.
If I go into physics, I know that there's opportunities
to create new and clean energy.
I hope to have a lab space with a team of people
looking at problems that are facing certain countries.
I'm hoping to one day return to the Middle East
and start working and doing advocacy for women's rights.
I really want to help people.
Getting the scholarship means that someone is
willing to invest in my future.
It just opens up an entire future to me
that I might not have otherwise.
I want to take everything I learned from UV
and bring it back home with me.
I didn't do this by myself.
There were a lot of people helping me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]