Aaliyaan Sadiq

Being a member of DECA has been such a fun experience for me. DECA allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and refine my leadership skills. I got to apply my IB Business knowledge into real life competitions. It gace me the chance to connect with peers with my similar interests and mentors who pushed me to be the best version of myself. DECA made me a more confident and ambitious individual who craves risk-taking and new opportunities.

Myself and my friend started a book club available to all high school years. Originally, we did this for the purpose of Creativity, Activity and Service but I, personally, really came to enjoy it after starting it. I presented and introduced the Book Club in a secondary school assembly to invite everyone from high school into this club. Gradually, the club grew. We read books from Animal Farm to The Outsiders. Starting group conversations and discussions was something I found so interesting because I really enjoy hearing other people's opinions, especially if they are different to mine. Hearing people come together over just a good book is something very special, and I had learnt new things about people who I had not even met before and even my friends. I really am glad I co-founded this book club and met a lot of new people.

My work with Sindh Institue of Urology and Transplantation is very personal. Back in 2022, my grandmother passed away due to kidney failure and her loss left me with the desire to support others who have that struggle. That is when I found SIUT. In Pakistan, I saw how in some rural areas people do not have access to healthcare, let alone good healthcare. I wanted to help contribute to an organisation who can provide free, quality healthcare to patients with urology and renal diseases. Patients from every walk of life are treated with dignity and compassion. SIUT provided free dialysis and transplants, in addition to follow-ups in care to create a lasting impact in healthcare. This experience was more than just volunteering: it helped me honour my grandmother's memory by helping others.

Since 2022, I have been a part of my schools track and field team. In short, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have taken part in. I made the varsity team and got chosen to compete, which was really an honour but at the same time, a challenge. At the start, I was nervous to push myself to my full potential because I was afraid of failure. My first competition didn't go well, I didn't finish first place sadly. I came to the realisation that winning takes dedication, time and effort and it is not just handed to me. I took this failure as a stride instead of something that will break me down. It was my motivation.

My 2 hour training sessions three times a week was hard. I eventually improved enough and broke my personal best time and ended up second place in my next few competitions. That moment felt fulfilling because I learnt the value of disciple and not giving up. My coach always told us that being lazy and tired was not an excuse. Track and Field is not only about physical strength and speed, but also mentality and resilience to keep going even when your body does not want to.

Through this journey, I became close with my teammates because we pushed eachother to be the strongest we can be. We cheered eachother on at practises and meets, which really kept me going. Building community prevented me for quitting and helped me stay focused. I realised that if I stay focused and work hard, I can keep improving. Competing on the varsity team was more than a sport to me, it was a lesson and test of my perserverance.

Volunteering for The Citizens Foundation has been one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever taken part in. I have grown so much as a person while giving back to the community. As a volunteer, I have supported TCFs mission to provide quality education available to underprivileged children in Pakistan. While doing this, I watched how TCF has become the number one employer for women in Pakistan, apart from government. One of my responsibilities included collecting and administering donations through reaching out to friends and the public and raise awareness about why this is a good, worthy cause to support TCFs work. I helped foster a sense of community by bringing people together to reach the common goal: making the world a better place. Going to TCFs annual gala’s has been something I have looked forward to since I started volunteering. Handling donations has taught me monetary value, trust and accountability skills which will help me in various areas of my life. I chose to volunteer for this foundation because it breaks the cycle of poverty, preventing education in Pakistan. I learnt the importance of empowering minority communities and shedding light on those less privileged than I am because I want to make the world a better place for future generations. Being Pakistani, I know that all of the donations and money is going to these schools because I have seen and visited these schools with my own eyes. It became a truly heart-warming experience because I saw how I helped increase opportunities for these children and women and made me see my efforts and work has become worthwhile. Being a TCF Volunteer made me become a more empathetic and responsible person because of how much of an eye-opening experience this has been because I believe every child deserves a chance to get quality education and have a chance in the world. By mentoring new volunteers, creating a supportive and inclusive team environment with existing and new volunteers. Assisting with the annual galas and programs made me realise how much of a difference I have made in this organisation. This experience made me a better version of myself.

Being a Financial Times advocate for my school has been one of the most important and beneficial experiences I have had the opportunity to pursue. This was an enriching experience which taught discipline, time-management and collaborative skills. This role involved promoting awareness and importance of finance, literacy and global awareness among my peers. I didn’t just share resources, I spread the critical thinking and open-mindedness among my peers. Being an advocate helped me become more structured by meeting specific goals and deadlines set by the Financial Times such collecting and sorting through surveys made and sent out by myself to my peers, conducting reading sessions and global engagement seminars. I learned to tailor information to different demographics of school groups and sending/suggesting recommendations to those with different tastes and preferences as well such as connecting individuals to the FT’s side of Humanities and STEM-focused articles. I worked with different teachers to integrate the FT into school life from general announcements to business/financial aspects. I led discussions and presentations on the FT relating to current events and learnt how to express the importance of certain subjects to tap into new tastes and preferences. I would say the most important aspect of this role, to me, is understanding the world around me and on a global scale. This is because I didn’t just see the FT as something relating to business, finance and economies, I learnt how the FT related subjects from politics to STEM. I didn’t just read the articles, but I learnt how to properly analyze which is quite a valuable skill for me. I refined my public speaking and critical thinking skills in the process. This role shaped me to be a more proactive and informed individual.

From 2022, I have tutored incoming middle school students to help them adapt from the primary school curriculum to the secondary school course. I knew how hard and demanding the change from primary to secondary school was, so I decided to pool together individuals in my year group and myself to help ease the transitions for the students who need it, like I did. I really enjoyed sitting down with my range of students and helping them out with their homework from subjects from all three sciences to history. My students telling me they did well on their tests and got good grades on their class tests was a really rewarding and fulfilling feeling for me. I came to really enjoy working with my students and help them adapt homework strategies and learn new things.

Every year from my freshman year of high school, up until my junior year of high school (now my senior year), I have taken part in the Wharton Business Challenge. This really appeals to my interest because I am really interested in the global scope and investment blocks of business. The Wharton Business Challenge allowed me to get some experience of what investment looks like in the real world through managing stocks and money in the simulation. This was a really valuable experience for me because I learnt how to make careful investments while also taking risks and learning about their outcome. This also helped me in my Business and Economics courses from IB to IGCSE, but also giving me new knowledge I can take into a university and work environment.

I took part in a Seeway Tanzania Expedition which took me to Kilimanjaro and Arusha, Tanzania to take part in acts of service and volunteering. I learnt about the local Tanzanian culture by being exposed to locals. I helped build schools, goat sheds and installed solar panels in locals' houses to help them live better. Being exposed to this community and children less privileged than myself made me realise the value of how much I have around me. Building the school and goat sheds took commitment being in the hot sun all day using hammers, saws and making concrete by hand. But after a long day, when I got to my tent: I felt like I actually did something meaningful. That is a feeling I can not quite describe but it is something I am very proud of.

Over the past 2 years, I have decided to shadow and do an internship in an optometry clinic. This has become an action I chose to take as something to broaden my horizons and find new things I would enjoy. I did not expect to enjoy this, but I did in the end. I ended up shadowing and learning about ophthalmology and optometrists process as both have different roles in the eye doctor field. I learnt these doctors do more than just ‘give glasses’ but they do a lot of scientific and interesting tests. I found this job to have more depth than I would have expected. I enjoyed observing and learning about different patients and their diagnosis’. During this experience, I never actually saw multiple occasions with patients who have the same diagnosis as another one. I learnt a range of different skills and tests such as learning about eye pressure and depth within a couple of different machines I learnt how to administer and use. Although this may not apply to my future career, I feel as thought I expanded my horizons for the better and learnt the importance of trying new things. I did this over a period of a few weeks for 2 years each, and I came to really enjoy the day in life of an optometrist. I have become more open to new experiences and gained new skills in communication and observation. I clicked with the staff and have gained new connections which has become a value to me. Now, with any new experiences I take a hands- on approach with a more optimistic perspective of what I will learn and gain with this experience.

I began being part of the Global Justice League by learning about Model United Nations and UNICEF. I learnt how to take part in MUN and make a different at UNICEF. I led stands at my school with UNICEF for World Children's Day annually and took part in Model United Nations. Eventually, I chaired a MUN conference in my enrichment sessions with children younger, and less experienced than myself.