Kulsoom Ali: Someone Took a Chance on Me
Kulsoom Ali appreciated the diversity in classes, activities and events at the University of Houston. She graduated with a degree in computer information systems, a largely male-dominated field, but at UH, she was proud to see other women in her classes.
In order for Ali to explain why she created a scholarship for UH students, she went back to 2016, detailing she was nearing high school graduation.
"As excited as I was to experience college," she said, "I honestly didn't know how I'd pay for it. I was trying to talk myself down. I'd applied for the Tier One Scholarship, but I knew there were so many good students out there. I thought, 'What's going to stand out about my story?'”
But, one day, something unforgettable arrived in the mail, announcing to Ali that she had been selected as a Tier One Scholar. Ali saw that someone took a chance on her. She promised herself that as soon as she could, she would ensure that someone else got to experience the same feeling of excitement and financial relief.
Ali kept her word. She graduated in May 2020 and created the scholarship in 2021. "I'm young, and I'm not super established, but I started a scholarship as soon as I could. This is why I got here: to make sure somebody else was able to experience this as well."
"We've been discounted in the past. Now we're one of the biggest schools in the state. I took that underdog spirit with me. You're going to underestimate me? Just watch."
She noticed that there wasn't much representation of Muslim women wearing hijab. While other people may feel nervous at being the only person who looks like them in the room, Ali asserted that this simply "fuels [her] fire."
She cited the University as inspiring this attitude. "UH embodies that as a spirit. We've been discounted in the past. Now we're one of the biggest schools in the state. I took that underdog spirit with me. You're going to underestimate me? Just watch."
She named the scholarship in honor of one of the Muslim religious figures she holds near and dear: Imam Ali (as). "I'm trying to be someone who inspires and does good in their community. The scholarship is for anyone who echoes what I value: education and giving back to their community."
She encouraged others to give back, even if they think it's impossible. "Before you've done it, establishing a scholarship seems unachievable or impossible, but take it from me, it is very much possible," she said. "As someone who has received a scholarship, I can promise you that you don't know the level of relief and happiness the student is going to feel when they receive this."
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