Personal Narrative: The Day My Grandma Passed Away

October 10, 2013 was the day my grandmother passed away. While this may not seem to be significant, this was a monumental moment in my life. Prior to her death, I had been grappling with depression for many years, and with her death, it only seemed to intensify. My grandmother had resided with us; she had become almost a second mother to me. Her death was the first death I had ever experienced firsthand. The experience had been traumatic for me to say the least, but it had also taught me a lot about myself, and life. In the months following her death, it seemed that all my relatives began passing away. My grandfather passed away, two of my uncles passed away, and then my aunt.

Being surrounded by death forced me to accept the finite nature of life, a concept I had never quite grasped until I was actually forced to acknowledge it. Realizing that I too, could leave without a moment’s notice, I decided to take full advantage of my life. I was in a position not many people are fortunate enough to be in. I lived in a middle class family in a first world country where I am able to acquire education to better my life. I learned to appreciate that I

By the end of my first year in high school, I was offered the position of Vice President of the Muslim Student Association. On Sundays, I began volunteering as a teacher’s assistant at a Sunday School in Piscataway. The following year, when a local Sunday school opened up, I was requested as a teacher by the principal. My position as a teacher was extremely significant as I was the only teenager teaching there at that time, my success as a teacher was the catalyst that opened opportunities for other teenagers to also teach. During the summer following my freshman year at high school, my friend and I started the YM Edison Neighbor-Net. The purpose of this organization was to create a friendly, comfortable environment for other youth to be spiritually empowered and gain