Senior Spotlight: Suha Faruk

By Teanir Yusuf

1. Tell me about yourself. When did you come to PVS?
My name is Suha Faruk, and I came to PVS in 2nd grade, less than a year after I moved to the US.

2. How has attending a Muslim private school shaped your identity and values?
Attending a private Muslim school for most of my life helped reinforce my iman in a way that cannot be achieved anywhere else. Experiencing such a community has helped me grow to love my deen as more than just an obligation.

3. What are your future goals, and how do you see yourself achieving them? 
I’m leaving my options open, but I’m planning to continue taking experiential opportunities within biomedical research to see where that takes me. I'll be studying at one of my top choices, so Inshallah I'll have a lot of chances to explore potential paths.

4. If you could pick any quranic verse, hadith, or quote that could describe your experience at PVS, what would it be and why?
“قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَآ إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَىٰنَا ۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ”
“Say, ‘Nothing will ever befall us except what Allah has destined for us. He is our Protector.’ So in Allah let the believers put their trust.” (9:51)

Though this verse can work with almost any situation we face in school, it especially resonates with me as a senior as we move onto the next stage of our lives. There is no need to be overly anxious about our futures because what Allah decreed for us is what’s best for us.

5. What advice do you have for the underclassmen?
You should take as many opportunities as you can get, but don’t become too focused on things that ultimately won't matter. Academics, extracurriculars, and leisure are all equally necessary, but none of them can outweigh your time spent in remembrance of Allah. Even during your stay at an Islamic school, your focus may drift, but don’t let yourself forget that this life is temporary.

6. What is the worst and best thing about being a senior?
The best thing and worst thing about being a senior is the impending future. It’s the best because of the excitement that comes with change and newfound freedom, but it’s simultaneously the worst not knowing where we will all be a year from now, living our separate lives and no longer going through the same, comfortable routines year-long.​