Qandeel Ahmed

My life has been shaped by an array of forces. I have been blown this way and that, influenced by so many opinions and ideas. My parents have raised myself and my three siblings to be like sponges, soaking up all that the world has to offer, rejecting little. They themselves are polar opposites, Democrat and Republican, Christian and Muslim, artist and engineer, Yankee and Southern. But their core belief of open mindedness and compassion has been imprinted in me far beyond the boundaries of any race or class.

Through this way of thinking, I have been very open to learning and viewing the world as my classroom. I love to travel; my father has taken us across North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. I have cherished these trips and plan to visit many more places after college. I also love to write, and I have discovered a passion for speaking which I hope to pursue in a future career.