On the 16th of December 2014, Peshawar was a muted, unfamiliar version of itself. The dusty, wintry northern capital is an energetic sight to behold on any given day, even hours after some of the most devastating terrorist attacks in the city’s history. Life in Peshawar always moves on. But the 16th of December 2014 was different. The terrorist attacks on Army Public School Peshawar changed the paradigm in Pakistan. It was the day when we watched our television sets with...

When a friend and I visited Tufts during the summer school, we saw a sign about bike parking that went something like “please don’t park here, the police will have to cut your lock, and that will be sad.” It resonated. I turned to my friend and told him that I wanted to be here next year. The quirky sign represented a passively nonchalant yet warm and welcoming approach to life at Tufts. I immediately fell in love with...

Describe the environment in which you were raised? Besides photographs and parental anecdotes, I barely remember my first four years in Rawalpindi and Karachi, Pakistan. UAE was my first “home.” I made my first friends, learned to play and enjoy Golf and Cricket, and got my first taste of multi-cultural living. Not every child is fortunate enough to blossom in such a diverse environment that is largely devoid of bias and teaches genuine internationalism. The exposure was highly transformative – I...

Celebrate the role of sports in your life. Growing up, golf was the first sport I learned to play. It fit right in with my shyness, and I felt at home. As I grew older and my personality changed, I was encouraged to play more team sports, including cricket. The first few years were tough. I was not a natural, nor was I close to my teammates’ standard. In fact, back in the 6th grade, if my school did not...