Senior Spotlight: Rukaia Barrouk

 1) Tell me about yourself. When did you come to PVS?

• I’m Rukaia Barrouk, and I’m a senior this year. I came to PVS in third grade and have been here ever since. I love playing sports, especially volleyball and badminton. I’ve been part of the girls’ volleyball team for the past four years. I’m also the oldest of six siblings, and all of them have been attending PVS their whole lives.
  

 2) How has attending a Muslim private school shaped your identity and values?

• Being in a Muslim private school has really helped me strengthen my faith in so many ways. Since elementary school, I was taught the right teachings and values of Islam and grew up learning how to live by them. Wearing the hijab also became 10 times easier for me because I was surrounded by Muslims who encouraged me and made me fall in love with the idea of modesty. Having that constant support around me made my faith so much stronger. Being in an Islamic school means being surrounded by people who’ve studied Islam deeply, which made it easier to find answers to any doubts or questions I had.
  

 3) What are your future goals, and how do you see yourself achieving them?

• One of my biggest goals is to memorize the Quran, inshaallah. I’ve been working on it a lot this year, and I plan to continue taking Quran classes with my two teachers, hoping to finish before college, inshallah. Another goal of mine is to continue volunteering in Midtown and expand our projects with a bigger group of volunteers. In the future, I want to keep organizing monthly community breakfasts and food drives, and try my best to be more involved and help in the kitchen to support the Midtown community as much as possible.

4) If you could pick any Quranic verse, Hadith, or quote that could describe your experience at PVS what would it be and why?

• But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:216) I’ve always used this verse to keep myself going no matter what. I love it because whenever life got tough or things didn’t go as planned, this verse reminded me that everything happens for a reason and is part of Allah’s plan. It helped me push through hard classes and even the stressful college application process.

​​
 5) What advice do you have for the underclassmen?

• I wish someone had told me these two things, so here’s my advice: first, take your ACT or SAT as early as possible. Don’t be scared to take it the first time—just go for it. It’ll catch up to you later if you wait too long. Try to get your highest score before senior year or within the first two months of it. Don’t push it off because once college applications start, you’ll already be stressed enough. Second, live in the moment. We’re all excited to graduate, but remember you’ll never get these moments back. Being in an Islamic environment, surrounded by your friends, praying together, and experiencing Ramadan as a community are blessings we won’t have in college. So make the most of these last moments while you can.

 6) What is the best and worst thing about being a senior?

• The worst thing about being a senior is definitely college applications, they’re super stressful and draining. But the best part is once you’re done, you finally have more free time and freedom to do all the things you’ve been putting off because you were so busy.