Founder’s Day at AWR: My first visit

There are some moments in life that feel almost too big for words.

Our very first Founder’s Day at the As We Rise School in Muridke was one of them.

When I first arrived, the school was buzzing with excitement. The teachers and principal had organized an entire day of festivities, a tour of the classrooms, student performances, speeches, and you could feel the energy the moment you stepped through the gates, welcomed with roses that were thrown onto my mother and I. Walking around, seeing the students so proud of their classrooms, so eager to show what they had learned, was already emotional enough. But then I noticed something that completely stopped me in my tracks: the logo.

The same logo I sketched out when I was just about to turn fifteen... full of hope and a little bit of teenage stubbornness that my mission was going to be a success despite what anyone had to say... was now stitched onto every single student's uniform. It hit me all at once. What started as just an idea, had become real. Tangible. Worn proudly by fifty-four students who now had a place to call their school. Honestly, I still don’t have the right words for that feeling. The day continued with a performance the students had put together. They recited poetry and sang songs. Afterward, our amazing principal Waseem spoke to the journey of educating these students.

Then came one of the most meaningful moments for me personally: I was asked to give a speech alongside my grandfather.He’s one of the biggest reasons this school exists in the first place, someone who showed me through his own life how transformative education can be. The very reason I stand as an US citizen is because of the belief he had in my grandmother-- her dream, her vision, her education. Standing next to him, speaking to our students about dreams, about hard work, about the future... it’s a moment I’ll carry with me forever.

We ended the celebration by giving small gifts to each student: bags filled with stationery and age-appropriate toys. Seeing their faces light up over the simplest things was the best reminder that small gestures can have a huge impact.

I left that day feeling so full of hope, and more committed than ever to keep building, to keep believing, and to keep rising.