Bushra Hamid: Recalling Early Memories

From Texas, Bushra Hamid is the co-founder of the WISE National Muslim Women’s Summit and a current student at Harvard College. Bushra is currently interning on the business development team of TEMBO education, a Forbes 30 under 30 social enterprise company dedicated to improving the lives of children and parents alike. She has also been politically engaged in her community, serving on campaigns specifically in her local city and acting as a journalist liaison for the Harvard Institute of Politics. She loves all things activism, writing, and poetry. This story is part of “Muslims of America” a photo series created by photographer Carlos Khalil Guzman.

What is your earliest memory?
I was born in a quite town in West Virginia, with diversity only found in the nature surrounding us. I remember running down a beautiful grassy hill with my mother, sister, and family friends to a McDonald’s at the bottom. We were going to get ice cream, treating ourselves on the weekend, and as a child, I remember that the cone felt like holding a million bucks. It’s the simple things in life, really.

Are there any funny stories your family tells about you that come to mind?
I used to spend my summers in the beautiful land of Syria. One day, when I was 10 or younger, as we gathered on a mat spread out on the floor as a family on a typical weekend, eating delicious falafel, I asked my aunt if I could make a sandwich for her. As I rolled the homemade falafel in the fresh pita bread, I stuck my chewed gum in between the food and then watched her eat it. As soon as she finished her sandwich, I couldn’t stop laughing. Everyone was so confused until I told them that she had ‘ABC gum,’ or ‘Already Been Chewed.’ This is one of my fondest memories in Syria, and a story my family never hesitates to share.

If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be?
The day I made it to Harvard. I was on the floor screaming and screaming and screaming, happy tears wetting the ground. That day I found out that everything and anything was possible, and that memory will forever motivate me for the rest of my life, God willing.

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