Week 10

Questionnaires completed: check.
Choose a college: check.

Questionnaire answers recorded: check.

Be excited for graduation: check.

Freak out about the AP Spanish exam:check.

Finish SRP presentation: pending...

YAY!!!! I'm almost done! I just have to organize my thoughts into a handy dandy power point presentation and I'll be good to go!

This project has really allowed me to delve into many subjects: religion, politics, psychology and sociology.

I have been studying Islam (the basics) for a long time, and I still have a teacher come every Saturday morning to cover my family's religious curriculum. But, I am in no way an expert. I'd say I know enough to give a stranger a good idea of what I believe in, dispel any misconceptions and make conversation. And one of the biggest things I have learned is that, when you don't know the answer to a religious question, just admit you don't know. Going back and researching the correct answer is way better than just speculating and hoping you're right and no one takes your word as gospel.

There is so much detail in the Islamic belief system. I guess that's why all the scholars are old guys... just kidding! In fact, there is a guy named Nouman Ali Khan, who is only 37 years old, who very expertly conveys Islamic belief and practices in an easy to understand manner.

My point is, even though I have spent my third trimester focused on Islam and how it is portrayed and viewed, there is still so much for me to learn. And, like I said before, religion is not the only topic I worked with. I got a taste of the experience as a journalist, seeking out stories to post on hatehurts.net for my internship. I became a lobbyist for a day on Arizona's Muslim Capitol Day and I have been spending weeks trying to decode the minds of fifth through eleventh graders regarding their perceptions and knowledge of Islam.

There's so much more I can do with more time. More research, more questionnaires targeting different groups, more time trying to recruit my brother into helping me tally data (gosh, that was the worst part)... I'm just glad I got the opportunity and time to engage in this project and now, get to share it with others.