Senior Spotlight: Sumaya Sultan-Ali

---

By Warsan SultanAli

 1. Tell me about yourself. When did you first come to PVS?
I'm Sumaya, and I have been in PVS since preschool.

2. How has attending a Muslim private school shaped your identity and values?
I like being brought up with teachers that affirm honesty and hardwork and forgiveness. Being in an Islamic school definitely made learning my religion a top priority in and after school. I always think now “is this Islamic” when I do something because I learned that pleasing Allah is the most important thing. I am so grateful that my parents put me in an Islamic school that always oriented my attention to Jannah. What I like most about PVS is the soft attitude towards Islam. Some Muslim schools are so harsh that they chase people away but even though PVS isn’t perfect,  the kindness here reaffirmed my Islam and inspired me to improve the school further.

3. What are your future goals, and how do you see yourself achieving them? 
Honestly, everything is up to Allah. Like Yusuf(AS) didn’t know he was going to be a monster of finance from jail. I want to be a doctor though, I want to achieve it by going to undergraduate and then med school.

4. If you could pick any quranic verse, hadith, or quote that could describe your experience at - PVS what would it be and why?
“Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.”
Don’t swerve away from the straight path. You don’t need to copy everyone around you, but try to follow the Prophet(SAW).


5. What advice do you have for the underclassmen?
Join a Quran class, you will be very happy to have many Surahs to read in prayer. Do clubs consistently so you can have 4 years of it on your college application. Study for the act early by identifying your weaknesses.  Get a tutor if you can for hard classes, it helped me in Algebra 2. Get close to people who talk about Allah, so you will be like them.
​
6.  What is the worst and best thing about being a senior?
The worst thing is independence. You apply to college and scholarships and you reach out for advice. It’s your structure and your mistakes so you are responsible for the deadlines and test dates you miss. No one will tell you “turn this in so you don’t miss applying to your dream school”. You just miss it. The best thing is the easier classes. It’s kind of easier than 11th grade and I have more free time.