My Amal Experience

When I first applied at Amal, I was very confused about it as my expectations skyrocketed for the most part. In all honesty, I wasn’t even serious about it when the mock activity room sessions were conducted. The reason for this was that I had my 6th semester exams starting the exact date the session at Amal was supposed to commence. Still, I dragged myself through and ensured that I was at least showing up for the selection processes. When I was admitted into the program, I was still quite skeptical about everything.

This picture above is the one I decided to take for this activity because of how aptly it describes all that I felt in the first two weeks at Amal. I had my final exams going, in the middle of a global pandemic, and I had completely worn myself out by freelancing quite unhealthily. This was mostly to crowd my mind with activities — a coping mechanism — to not fall completely into depression that I suffered from due to lack of a safe space at home. So, amidst everything that was already feeling like I was taking too much on my shoulders, I decided, why not add more? Little did I know, this was going to literally change my life.

The soft, comforting light in this photo is what I like to call the Amal ray of hope that I was able to find in darkness closing in on me during the early times. I hadn’t been able to focus on the first two weeks properly due to my undergraduate commitments, but I was able to submit my project works after requesting Ma’am Iqra to allow me to submit late. I was wholeheartedly motivated by her response, as she got on call with me and tried to come up with a solution which actually worked. I still remember thinking while on the call, that why does she care so much? It didn’t take me long to realize how much all of the fellows meant to her and to Ma’am Zeest. I was moved by their kindness and patience, and decided to prioritize the sessions as much as I can. When I received the Most Thoughtful Project Award in the first week, it really showed me that both of them were interested in effort, and not anything else.

I also became friends with a couple of fellows in the first 2 weeks, initially due to my absences in the sessions and the consequent confusion. Usama Aslam was the first fellow I spoke to and he helped me greatly by conveying the points discussed in the session. During the first Learning Group, I got the chance to know Aniqa. From then onwards, it wasn’t very hard to communicate with the fellows as most of them were friendly and outgoing. The best part however was when Aimen Bukhari and I realized we are in the same batch! We had met through a friend, and through Amal we were able to explore our friendship even better.

During the sessions, I always felt that Ma’am Zeest and Ma’am Iqra did their best to ensure our learning was never compromised. Their kindness has inspired me to be more giving, to stay humble and to never stop respecting yourself. I was scared of the 3 months commitment with Amal, but looking back now, it all seems worth it. Everything. I was able to get over a lot of my fears by their push of confidence. I largely improved due to their attentive mentoring, exploring myself through and throughout. I became more passionate about success and started to prepare myself for the longer journey ahead of Amal.

I was able to build a lot of connections due to this platform. A few days ago, the interviewer from my mock interview session Miss Ayesha Vora reached out to me for a job offer. Had I not availed the opportunity at Amal, I would have been stuck, here and there, wondering where and how to get started. I became more goal-oriented and compassionate as a result of the positive mindset encouraged in the sessions.

I believe that Amal teaches you to fight for yourself, from yourself. I was being very lazy and was quite disheartened before I had joined Amal. I was hopeless, thinking that my bad circumstances outweigh my vigor for excelling. I was my own enemy, and Amal put me in a healthy race with my own self. Not only did I feel that I had been redeemed academically, but I also felt that I was getting emotionally stable as well. When you focus on your career, you are less likely to let temporary downpours upset you for long. I learnt to prioritize my dreams over everything else, and that has been possible due to Amal. I take away from this experience tremendous lessons, all of which will continue to impact my life in one way or another. I am grateful that I found the light — or perhaps it found me.