Figuring out what is captivating in terms of dreams has been done. That’s what junior Aya Shakir has known through almost her entire life.

Her passions for being a doctor, violinist, and singer are at the heart of her ambitious world. She had discovered her dreams of playing the violin earlier in her life and has most recently fallen in love with the world of medicine. 

“I took orchestra in sixth grade, and from there, I never stopped playing in orchestra,” Aya said. “Because I’m taking AP Biology at the moment, I’ve been enjoying that class [and it has] inspired me to become a doctor.”

AP Biology isn’t the only reason why she chose her career choice of becoming a doctor. Aya has witnessed herself receiving support from her own mother who has had a meaningful impact on the goals of her future careers. 

“My and mom and I are really close,” Aya said. “She encouraged me to look into the medical field, and so I took AP Bio, and I liked the content that has to do with the cells and [the] body overall. I talked to my mom about those things, and she always gives me pep talks and lectures me about the future, so I get a lot of encouragement from her.”

Aya also learned about her passions from other influences outside of school and family. They helped her understand the notions of being aware of what she is genuinely passionate about, as well as learning how she can take that to go further so she can also have a talent for it.

“[There] is this video on YouTube that I saw [with a] woman who’s a doctor, and she’s also a violin player,” Aya said. “That inspired me too because I love to do the same things as she does. That inspires me to look forward to the future and my passion of wanting to be a violin player.”

While she’s still on the journey of wondering what she’ll end up doing in a few years, she also has prepared herself in knowing how to search for something and absorbing an experience of a particular hobby. Aya knows the rest of the process and later finds out what something is that gives a lot of love and skill for it to choose a profession.

“So find your passion [and] what you like to do outside of education,” Aya said. “Focus on that, and also focus on your education. See if you can combine those somehow and possibly turn those [to] become whatever you like in the future.”

Aya hasn’t known any family members of hers who are doing any jobs related to healthcare, but she wants to make history in her family. This is one of the biggest things that she hopes will come true.

“I’m from Iraq, and everyone that’s related to me over there doesn’t really have a documented family,” Aya said. “I want to continue that journey and do something that they’ve never done.”

She also has found her passion for singing when she was only in an ordinary day of listening to sounds. Later, she made a transition for her to know and take action that she has also a voice to share, leading her to know that songs are her destiny.

“I listen to instrumental music to focus on my work,” Aya said, “but then, I was inspired to sing.”

Overall, Aya hopes that others know about one thing they can be confident about when catching on to notice something they have always been dreaming about.

“My advice is don’t stop seeing what you can do, and look into it,” Aya said. “[Don’t let it] stop you from doing what you like.”