I grew up hearing stories of my father waking up at 5 in the morning to walk five miles in the scorching heat or scorching cold to school every day and back. My grandfather could not afford the higher education of his four children. He could only afford to send one son; my father was the lucky one. Unlike my father, my mother was not so lucky. My mother grew up in a home where women should aspire to be wives, not career women. Therefore, before she even graduated high school, at the tender age of eighteen, she got married to my father. An accomplished baker and artist, the abrupt end to her education and subsequent push into motherhood hindered her path to a career. Because of her obstacles, my mother always nurtures my intellectual curiosity and is a motivating force behind my ambitions and hard work. As a result, my father and mother's upbringing is critical to the role they will play in my future. As the eldest and only son, I am expected to act as a role model and guardian for my ten- and three-year-old sisters. Every decision I make is seen through their demanding eyes and this has developed my sense of motivation and commitment to lead by example. I was born and raised for the first half of my life hopping in different cities in southern Pakistan to Muslim parents. It was a relatively underdeveloped country at the time, but there was a constant sense of danger associated with life in Pakistan. With a relatively unstable political situation at the time, the diversity and influence of ideas from other countries was lacking. At school, 99% of my classmates were part of the Pakistani Muslim community. Our culture and subculture were identical and everyone seemed to share similar views and philosophies. By… half of the card social rituals will begin to fade and be replaced, leaving people with fusions of social identities from many different countries. Growing up as a child in Pakistan, a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, and living in New York City, I was confused about my identity for quite some time. When someone asked me where I'm from I would probably answer “Pakistani, but I live in Dubai”. Even though I wear European clothes, speak English at home and have visited Pakistan only twice in the last 10 years, I consider myself Pakistani even though my attachment to the country and culture is nowhere near that of a native Pakistani. However, after being exposed to an era with rapid technological growth and the influence I had from many different cultures, I realized that my identity was not that of a typical Pakistani, and I was okay with that..