Senior Spotlight: Sama Shamoon

By Teanir Yusuf

1. Tell me about yourself. When did you come to PVS?
I came to PVS in August 2017, when I began my first year of middle school!

2. How has attending a Muslim private school shaped your identity and values?
Honestly attending a Muslim private school has shaped my identity and values a lot. I grew up in different public schools and I was always surrounded by non-muslims but when I came to PVS, I got a culture shock. Then I was surrounded by people who also had the same religion as me so it was easier to express my Muslim Identity. There was a time when I couldn’t imagine myself wearing the hijab but seeing other girls wearing it inspired me to wear it too! Now Alhamdulillah, I can wear my hijab and abaya out in public and represent my deen proudly and I can give some of that credit to pvs and some of the people in it. :)
3. What are your future goals, and how do you see yourself achieving them? 
My future goal InSha’Allah is to work in the healthcare field! I love taking care of the people around me so I feel like it’s only natural I’d go into that area lol. I plan to achieve this by studying Health Sciences and keeping my intentions sincere 😁
4. If you could pick any quranic verse, hadith, or quote that could describe your experience at PVS, what would it be and why?
One Quranic verse I would pick that would describe my experience at pvs would probably have to be Verse (13:11) :“Indeed, Allah would never change a people’s state ˹of favor˺ until they change their own state ˹of faith˺. And if it is Allah’s Will to torment a people, it can never be averted, nor can they find a protector other than Him.” I chose this verse because it humbles me in a way. It teaches me to self-reflect, identify my flaws, and channel that into my personal growth– with Allah on my side guiding me

5. What advice do you have for the underclassmen?
I would just advise the underclassmen to have fun and create really good memories really, even if it’s just them volunteering in a bake sale at the school or joining different clubs, everything adds up. I feel like time has passed by so fast for me and before I knew it, I became a senior and at some point, they’re going to be seniors too, so I’d tell them to make the most out of everything.
6. What is the worst and best thing about being a senior?
In my opinion, the best thing about being a senior is looking back and realizing that I overcame everything I thought I wouldn’t be able to. It makes me realize how much I’ve grown, and just spending as much time with my classmates as much as we can before we all graduate makes this year even more exciting and bittersweet! But I think the worst thing about being a senior is having to make decisions for the future and what comes next lol.